Diamonds & Pearls 2: The Keys to the First Circle
by alexwacrap
Summary: Sequel to Diamonds and Pearls. When Jack returns to Port Royal he brings an unexpected surprise and the gang must face a battle unlike any they've ever faced. Complete! Sequel's comin atcha!
1. Chapter 1

**Oh, My, God…I'M BACK! As Huey would say, ahem, "I'm excited!", and as Rove would say, "WHAT THE!", and as Steve Carell would say, "LET'S ALL PILE INTO THE MINIVAN AND GET SOME FROZEN YOGURT!"…….yeah…that last one was…yeah…**

**SEQUEL…yay! What do you think of the title…I'll ask again when the title actually makes sense so don't bother replying. Hopefully I'll get at _least_ seven reviews for this chapter, and I shan't update until I do (pouts). Okay, hope you enjoy, if you do, then review, if ya don't then I'll have my people call your people…**

**Alright readers…now it's personal…**

**Disclaimer: (And this is where the story REALLY starts) I must confess that all the other times I said I own PotC, I lied…**

Bad Day 

'Oi! Pirate! Think quick!'

Tara glanced back as a rock came flying in her direction. It missed, by several feet to her left.

'Why!' she called back lazily. 'Shouldn't I be more worried if you're aiming for the person next to me!'

The boy who threw the rock scowled then retreated, with a nod to his buddies, signalling to do the same. Tara smiled with satisfaction. She wrapped her heavy, black cloak around her and surveyed the landscape. Down the hill she could see the Port and the grey water, the high, sea waves rolling onto the shore, all the while reflecting the ominous looking sky above. She peered up as large raindrops began to fall and for a split-second, considered returning home, before deciding otherwise. She turned and hurried into the maze of dark alleys, her magenta and aqua dress billowing slightly in the wind.

She slowed once in the maze. The buildings here were so close together that they blocked off most of the rain. An, eerie, loud thud echoed in the silence, a dog barked, the wind howled through its many tunnels. Tara pulled her hood over her head and turned off to the right. She slid down a set of stairs and through an archway before pausing to look up at the sign above a door. "W. Turner: Blacksmith". The rain was pouring down heavily now and without further hesitation, she pushed open the door and sidled inside.

Will looked up from the anvil as she entered.

'Hello Tara,' he said looking back down at his current work.

Tara pulled down her hood. 'Oh, I like this.'

He looked up again. 'What?'

'It's dry,' she replied, 'it's pouring out there.'

'It is fascinating weather for summer,' Will murmured thoughtfully.

'Yeah, fascinating, tell that to the Time Keepers, clocks are stopping all over town…' She paused.

'Is there a reason you decided to leave the dryness of the Mansion, or just pointless wandering?'

Tara shuddered dramatically. 'Eek, "wandering". Whenever I hear that I get chills. Actually, I…umm…there was a little…accident…'

Will looked up curiously. 'Wait, let me guess. You finally killed the Commodore?'

She sighed. ' 'Fraid not, although that would certainly brighten up the day. In reality…' She drew a large, sword with a curved handle from its sheath at her waist, where the cloak had concealed it. As she did so, the sword fell apart. The blade separated completely from the handle and shattered like glass on the ground.

Will stared down at the remnants in shock. 'A little accident…' he echoed, nonplussed.

'Well…I was _going_ to say that the handle was broken,' Tara said softly, gazing at the glass-like metal at her feet, then added (to what seemed like the shards themselves) 'but then you had to go ruin it.' She looked up at Will, hopelessly, 'You can't fix it, can you?'

Will shook his head. 'I'm sorry. I cannot fix…shards.'

Tara couldn't help the feeling of sad disappointment. She tossed the handle into the heap of scrap metal near the fire with a sigh. 'It's just not my day.' She turned back to the door. As soon as she opened it, there was a clasp of lightning and thunder from above.

'Do you think someone's trying to tell me something?' she asked Will, pulling her hood over her head again.

Will watched her go, smiling slightly to himself. Then he looked back at the handle she'd thrown into the pile, an idea already forming itself in his head.

xXx

Tara waited for several minutes, hoping that the rain would stop. It didn't. In fact, it got even worse. There was nothing else for it, if she wanted to get home, she'd have to get wet first, not that she didn't delay it as much as she possibly could.

She stopped everywhere she could think of and by the time she got back to the mansion, she'd missed dinner.

'Where've you been!' screeched the fussy old maid, Maria as Tara stood on the threshold while the butler took her cloak. 'Look at the state of you! Soaked to the bone! Your Uncle's not happy, neither's your cousin!' Maria continued to screech in the bathhouse behind the mansion while she poured hot water on Tara's head.

'You're already pale and tired-looking as it is! What would your mother have thought if you'd met an early grave!' Maria snapped, finally tossing her a towel and hanging up her wet clothes.

'She'd think I'd been swimming,' Tara muttered in her breath, 'you crazy old bat…'

'What was that!'

'They're dripping on the mat,' Tara covered, nodding at the soaked clothes before going behind the clothes screen to change for a late dinner.

xXx

Late that night, Tara sat in a winged armchair in front of the fireplace in her bedroom. She was reading Selected Poetry, puzzling over a piece called The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

To run o'er better waters hoists its sail

The little vessel of my genius now,

That leaves behind itself a sea so cruel;

_What is that supposed to mean?_ She thought wearily. After several more minutes, she gave up and put the book down. She stared miserably at the burning fire as it shrunk; smaller and smaller, until only embers remained. The mantle clock read half-past one in the morning, but it was nothing surprising. Late nights were common for Tara these days. Then again, she didn't trust clocks anymore. Most of them had been running behind for the past few weeks.

It had been four months now, since Tara's father had left. During those four months, Tara had found herself desperately hoping that the dark ship on the horizon would be his, but it never was, and the disappointment of that was almost too much to bear.

' "I'll be back soon",' Tara muttered to herself bitterly, rising from the chair and walking to the open balcony doors. 'How soon is soon, Jack?'

The landscape brightened suddenly, as the grey clouds finally parted to give way to the glorious light of the full moon. The water in the cove sparkled like a thousand diamonds suspended over a deep abyss in the Earth's surface.

She suddenly realised she was holding her breath. She exhaled and turned away from the balcony, peering around the now dark room. Recognising the lateness, she got into bed and fell into an uncomfortable, restless sleep.


	2. The Message

**Disclaimer: PONY!**

**I'M A SCHOLAR NOW! Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen…and both…I have a scholarship now…What the HELL were they thinking…I'm such a nerd…Longer chappies now, have ya noticed? By popular demand!**

**The Message**

'Wake up! Wake up, girlie!'

Tara threw a pillow over her face as Maria's screeching penetrated her sleep.

'Don't be stupid! And don't you forget your Uncle has people over for breakfast this morning! Oh, we're already late, where are the Time Keepers!' Maria was already pulling Tara's best dress from the red wardrobe in the corner.

Tara's mind went momentarily blank, then she groaned; the Aristocratic breakfast. The social event of the season when all the posh, stuck-up, rich people on the island would gather at the Swan Mansion to discuss news and politics and, of course, gossip about each other.

Maria yanked her from the bed a shoved her behind the clothes screen, handing her a white and gold, very lacey dress. Tara looked at it in disgust. She hated having to wear these dresses, even when Clarice visited two months prior, she was shocked to see how much Tara had changed. 'You're not Tara!' she'd said, shocked. Tara just smiled at her, a deep sense of loss in her stomach.

All her former clothes had been placed in the drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe, but she wasn't allowed to wear them anymore.

She hurried down the stairs to see the Hall filled with strangers; she started for the Parlour where she could see Will and Liz.

'Miss Bell.'

That voice. That annoying, nagging voice. Norrington.

'Commodore! Glad to see you could make it,' said Tara, adding as much sarcasm as possible. They hated each other.

Norrington smiled his plastic smile. 'You're looking well.'

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'You really think so? Because everyone keeps telling me I look ill.'

'That's well enough,' Norrington replied, lowering his voice, 'perhaps you have something hereditary?'

'Oh, perhaps,' Tara could tell he was no closer to figuring out her true parentage, 'not that you'd ever know.'

Norrington plastic smile vanished. 'I wouldn't count on that, Miss Bell. Perhaps I will know.'

'Good luck with that.' Tara grinned and walked away.

Norrington watched her leave; there was something irritatingly familiar about that grin…

xXx

Weatherby Swan looked around the parlour, pleased with the morning's turnout.

'Governor Swan?'

He turned to see the elderly Squire peering at him enquiringly.

'Good morning, Squire Richards,' said Swan politely, 'dreadful weather yesterday? I daresay, the morning has brought some much needed sunshine?'

The Squire nodded, his grey goatee looking as plastic as ever. 'Not to worry though, your daughter's house is coming along well.'

A month earlier, Swan had purchased nearby land from the Squire to build Elizabeth and Will their own mansion.

'Good to know,' Swan replied, smiling, 'ah, and here she is now.'

Liz had stepped around the corner, looking slightly bored. Will was at her side looking about the same.

'Elizabeth, William,' Swan gestured to them, 'you know Squire Richards. Squire, my lovely daughter Elizabeth,' (she shook the Squire's hand, forcing a smile), 'and her husband, William Turner, the town blacksmith.' Will shook the Squire's hand.

'And a fine one at that!' perked Richards. He and Swan broke into conversation and Liz and Will edged away.

'Don't you wish we could disappear?' Will muttered from the corner of his mouth, inclining his head at passers-by.

'I wish we could…melt into the wall!' said Liz.

'Who's melting into the wall?' asked Tara's voice as she came around the corner. 'Tell them to teach me how!'

Liz smiled. 'Press your back against it and pretend to be a piece of furniture.'

Tar suddenly ducked behind Will.

'What is it?' he asked bewildered.

'_It_ is the Commodore,' hissed Tara, 'he's suspicious; he won't leave me alone! It's like he thinks I might suddenly transform!'

'Transform into what?' questioned Liz, watching Norrington discreetly. 'To the best of his knowledge, you're lady, through and through!'

Tara laughed bitterly. 'To _his_ knowledge. To my knowledge I hate dresses, I hate parties and I _hate_ waiting for Jack!' She froze. There was an awkward silence.

'I might, go outside…' Tara turned on her heel and hurried out to the courtyard.

Will and Liz glanced at each other uncomfortably as Swan stepped up behind them.

'Is she alright?' he asked, not catching the uneasiness between them. 'She hasn't been herself lately.'

'I'm sure she's fine, probably just needs some air,' Will murmured. In reality, what he'd just said was code for "Don't ask, for God's sake, don't ask!"

Swan caught on. 'She seems rather ill, pale, tired all the time…she hasn't been eating much, has she?'

Liz shook her head. 'No, she hasn't, I'll take something out for her, we'll talk.'

Swan nodded smartly and turned to Will. 'While they're doing that, why don't I introduce you to a few people.' He and Will walked away, Will looking like he'd rather have tried Liz's method for melting into the wall.

xXx

Tara stepped outside; the sky was grey again. She walked down the stairs, into the garden and kicked a nearby bench, acrimoniously. She winced.

'Ouch…'

_You're going soft!_ Said an annoying voice in the back of her mind. She collapsed on the bench and looked over the town. She was on the highest pointed on the immediate grounds, just to the right of the house and could see the entire settlement and Port. The water was again grey, reflecting the sky, making it see like the horizon just went on and on.

'Are you alright?'

Tara jumped as Liz sat down beside her, a small plate of food in her hands.

'Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you,' Liz apologized.

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'I'm fine, I'm just…paranoid and tired and…really, really _mad!_' She said the final word through gritted teeth, biting back the urge to scream.

Liz held out the plate.

'I'm not hungry,' Tara muttered, looking back at the settlement.

Liz was silent for several moments, then, 'He'll come back Tara, he promised.'

Tara insides plummeted. She didn't reply. After another few second, she heard Elizabeth astonished gasp.

'Oh, my goodness! It's an eagle!'

Tara followed her cousin's gaze and saw it. A large bald eagle was flying low over the treetops.

'It's got something in it's beak,' Tara said indifferently, 'they're not native in these parts, what's it doing so far from home?'

The eagle suddenly swooped low and landed on the ground before them, hopping forward.

Liz stared in astonishment. 'Do you think it's trained?'

Tara wasn't listening, she'd just recognised what the eagle had in its beak, a black and gold envelope. She reached forward and took it carefully from the bird. As soon as it was free of the envelope, the eagle screeched loudly. Liz jumped.

'It's hungry,' Tara explained.

'W-what?' Liz stammered.

'It's hungry,' Tara repeated. She took the plate that Liz was holding and placed it before the eagle. The bird picked out the meat and, before long, it had flown away again.

'What was that about?' Liz asked softly, she glanced at the envelope Tara was staring at but couldn't recognise the writing. 'Who's that for?'

Tara stared at it, her heart pounding suddenly. 'Phoenix…' she said softly.

'Sorry?'

'Phoenix! Phoenix! It's my faction name!' Tara turned the envelope over, her hands shaking.

'Your faction?' asked Liz. 'As in your Chinese faction?'

Tara nodded and gawked at the wax seal. The Imperial Crest.

'What does it mean?' Liz muttered.

'Everything, anything, you don't want to know.'

Tara pulled open the envelope and frowned. Instead of a message, there was a series of golden numbers.

732 25673 429

37 4577.

12 83334157, 7329'44

12 155353 12726

732 573267.

2352 1167135 4114 7616658.

**25 557**

627765 3262!

'Numbers?' murmured Liz in confusion.

'It must be a code,' Tara said softly, 'in English, I was never very good with Chinese numeracy…it can't be too urgent if they want me to decipher it…'

'Probably not…'

'Liz, why don't you go back inside and save Will? I'll be in, in a little while.'

Liz nodded, collected the plate and went back inside. Tara looked back down at the envelope and numbers, completely bewildered. The noise from the guests wasn't helping her concentrate. She stood and started down the hill. The beach was her favourite place to think.

**Yes, people, Jack IS coming, so is someone else...(whistles)...REVIEW PLEASE!**


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: KRYTONITE! _Da da da da, wow, wow, wooooowwwwwwwww!_**

**I'm sorry!I meant to update, I really did, but their getting less frequent now coz I can't write the chapters that fast (mind you I've written about 20) coz I've got exams about in a week and a half and I have to revise!**

**Who watched Mary Bryant! Wasn't it good! Perverted, but otherwise, Jack Davenport really has a knack for playing freaky authority figures…he was a Lieutenant…again…**

**An Unexpected Visitor**

732 25673 429

37 4577.

12 83334157, 7329'44

12 155353 12726

732 573267.

2352 1167135 4114 7616658.

**25 557**

627765 3262!

Tara growled in frustration and looked up at the dark sky. '_What _am I doing!'

As if in an answer she couldn't understand, far off in the distance there was a flash of lightning. Tara shoved the envelope in her pocket and lowered her face into her hands.

It was eerily quiet today. She could hear nothing but the waves washing onto the shore, but, then again, it was a public holiday, and there were very few of them each year. Most people were home with their families, enjoying the time off.

She didn't know how long she sat there, staring at the sand, but she was shocked out of it by a deafening explosion of thunder from directly overhead. She blinked several times, her eyes readjusting to the landscape. For a split second, she thought she'd heard something she shouldn't have, but then she was sure she'd imagined it.

She stood up and dusted the sand off her dress, then turned and started back up the gentle slope, then heard it again. She spun around and surveyed the docks. The small boats bobbed gently in the water, the Navy boats rocked back and forth.

_There are boats everywhere, how am I supposed distinguish if any are moving? _Tara thought, disappointed. _Focus, focus, waves make different sounds if they're moving against something that's moving against them._

She closed her eyes and listened. Over the sound of the wind through the trees and the waves on the shore, it was there; the sound of rushing water, steadily growing stronger.

Tara opened her eyes and looked to her right, the North cliffs, waiting. Sure enough, a moment later, out she came, in all her dark glory. _The Black Pearl_ was as vast and as daunting as ever. Tara's heart missed a few beats as she started running for the longest dock, something was wrong, she could tell. It was too quiet, too scary, too eerie. She stopped dead as she saw the anchor drop, still 50 metres from the dock.

She panicked, thinking fast. She had to get there, this wasn't right, not in the least. She spun around, her hair and dress flying. Her eyes landed on a small dinghy near the dock. She jumped in and started rowing. There was a soft _thud_ as she crashed into the massive ship and manoeuvred the boat to the ladder. She tied the boat around a small iron ring and climbed to the decks.

At first glance she saw no one, looking around, now frantic. Then she spotted the figure of a man on the boards near the Anchor Wheel. She rushed forward, bent over him and gasped. She knew this man; she'd seen him arguing with her mother in the garden years ago, he wasn't one of her father's crew.

'Sir! Sir?' she said loudly. He was very unconscious, the next second she found out why. Blood was pooling beneath him, he'd been shot twice in the lower back. Tara rolled him over on his side and bit her lower lip, other than press a handkerchief to stem the blood flow. She paused, he couldn't have gotten here alone, someone had to have steered the ship. She looked desperately to the Helm, no one stood there, certainly if they had, they'd have come down the help her by now, nevertheless, she stood and started up the stairs, midway up, she stopped, overcome by a feeling of horror. She stayed still, wondering whether or not to continue up the stairs. She carried on up the stairs, slower now, more cautious. At the top she stopped and looked around.

Her blood ran cold. 'Jack!'

He was lying facedown at the Helm. Tara hurried forward, falling to her knees beside him.

'Dad? Daddy?' She turned him over and moaned, horrified. His wounds were worse than the other man's, mostly because of the horrible gashes on his chest and arms.

'Oh, please,' she muttered, checking his pulse, 'please, please, please.'

It was there. Faint, but there.

'Yes! First Aid Kit…yeah, that's what I need,' sickened with herself for leaving them both in the open, she ran down the stairs and into the Captain's Quarters.

xXx

'Will, has Tara come in yet?'

Liz was worried now, it had been over an hour and Tara still hadn't come back.

Will shook his head as he came down the stairs. 'No, I'm sure she's fine though, you know how she likes to wander.'

'I know,' Liz murmured as she took Will's arm and the started to the back of the parlour, 'but that letter, I hope she doesn't do anything regretful…'

'She won't,' Will assured, 'she's a smart young woman who knows what she's doing.

Liz smiled. 'I know that, but-,' she froze staring out the window. 'Will…'

Will saw it too, the dark ship in the harbour. 'Is that…?'

'It is…'

They glanced at each other and reached an unspoken agreement, both turning and rushing out of the house. They weren't aware that a minute after they left, Norrington saw it too.

xXx

Tara dressed her father's and the stranger's wounds as best she could, but knew that if they didn't get a doctor soon, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone what happened. She sat silently on a crate near the Helm torn between what to do next. If she left to get help, she'd be leaving the pair on their own. She couldn't do that in their state. On the other hand, if help didn't come soon…

'Jack!'

Tara looked up immediately. That was Elizabeth's voice. She stood up and hurried to the railing.

'Liz!' she called, grabbing her attention.

Liz looked up. She was waiting on the dock as Will had begun rowing to the _Pearl._

'Tara?' she began. 'What are you-,'

'They need help!' Tara interjected, slightly annoyed.

'Who does?' said Will's voice. Tara spun around, surprised to suddenly see him on deck. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her. 'Why are you covered in blood?'

Tara gestured helplessly at the man by the Anchor Wheel. As Will started toward him, she glanced down. The bottom of her dress was soaked in crimson blood where she'd knelt in it while patching the two up. She walked slowly down the stairs to where Will stood, staring in shock at the fallen man.

'Father?' Will said uncertainly.

Something in Tara's head finally clicked. 'Bill…'

Will turned to her, suddenly grabbing her by the shoulders. 'What happened!'

Tara struggled not to wince. He was holding on very tight. 'I don't know, I got aboard and they-they-,'

Will frowned in confusion. 'What do you mean "they"? Who's "they"?'

Tara pointed to the Helm. 'Jack…'

Will released her and she slid to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. He ran past her, to the Helm, where there was a sudden and vehement exclamation.

'Now _what_ kind of language is that Mr. Turner?'

Tara looked around in alarm. Norrington stood on the deck, flanked by guards and wearing a smug look of victory. He started to the Helm, seemingly not noticing Tara or Bill. Tara glanced at Bill and spotted a gun in his holster. Determined, she drew it out and checked the rounds, being as subtle as possible. Meanwhile Norrington had stopped at the top of the stairs, staring at Jack's unconscious form.

'Oh, my,' he muttered with no note of remorse, 'pity that, Mr Murtogg, Lieutenant, would mind taking Mr. Sparrow to a free cell-,'

_Bang!_

Norrington broke off as the hat flew off his head. Everyone looked to the source. Tara was on her feet, pointing the gun directly at Norrington.

'This is how we're gonna do things,' she said to the Commodore in a deathly soft voice, 'your men will sail this ship to the dock. Both Mr. Turner and _Captain_ Sparrow will be taken to the Swan Mansion for medical treatment. There will be no plans to arrest either of them when they're better.'

Norrington stared at her blankly. 'Or what? I do not believe you have the backbone.'

Tara held the gun high, not backing down, her hand abnormally steady. 'Or I will put a hole in your heart.'

No one argued after that. The _Pearl _was docked and the gangplank lowered. Liz, who had watched the scene from the dock started forward, but went no further than ten steps when Jack and Bill were taken past. She raised her hand to her mouth in shock as Will stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

'What - who would - why would – anyone…' she stammered weakly. Will hugged her in comfort and they both started back to the mansion. Tara watched them leave and waited till she was finally alone at the end of the dock. She looked back at the ship, at the bloodied decks and the black sails, feeling strangely unemotional. She turned and started for the shore.

**That was so scarily emotional! Blame PMS! What do you think? Far too emotional? Or good by your standards?**

**Da na da na, daa na na na! (Instrumental from Loser by Three Doors Down, I love Three Doors Down!)**


	4. Thicker Than Water

**Disclaimer: Peaches, okay, I DO (not) own Pirates of the Caribbean, and that (does) NOT include Jack, Will, Bootstrap, Elizabeth and any other UN(copyrighted) characters... : **

**Okay, I know this is wierd, but what do you think about me posting some one shots? Call 'em...ummm... Wasabizilla!...No, wait, that's not right... Hi Michelle!  
**

Thicker than Water

Will paced the hallway nervously. Liz watched his process, glancing every now and then at the two doors across from where she sat, her eyes red. Tara sat quietly in the chair next to her, ashen and tense, playing with the folds in her clean, purple and black dress. She hadn't said a word since leaving the ship.

'Will,' Liz started, making him stop abruptly, 'I thought your father was…dead?'

Will nodded. 'So did I, but the curse, it must have been the curse…'

The three of them jumped as the door on the right opened and Doctor Reynolds stepped out.

'The extraction was successful,' he said to Will, 'there will be some scarring but the bullets missed the major organs, so it seems your father will be fine.'

Will sighed with relief. 'Is he awake?'

Reynolds shook his head. 'His body is recovering from the shock so we think he'll be unconscious for a while. You can go in and sit with him when the nurses have finished cleaning up.'

Will inclined his head, apparently speechless. Reynolds turned and walked into the door on the left. There was a moment's silence then Will collapsed on the chair between the two doors.

'That's wonderful, Will,' Liz said softly, 'I'm sure he's been wanting to see you for a long time.'

Will nodded then looked at Tara. 'Are you all right?'

Tara peered up at him and nodded. In truth she was nowhere near all right, and Will seemed to have noticed.

'I'm sure that would be true if you'd say something,' he pressed.

'Something,' Tara said hoarsely.

'This cannot be easy for either of you,' Liz murmured, 'I mean, if I'd seen my father like that-,'

'You're not helping,' snapped Tara. She regretted it instantly, 'Sorry.'

Liz nodded. 'It's fine, I'm sure you don't want that repeated.'

Tara looked down again, fiddling with something in her pocket.

'Huh,' she heard Liz mutter thoughtfully.

'What?' she asked.

'Well, I may be wrong, and I do hope I am, but that dress doesn't have pockets.'

Tara frowned. 'It…doesn't…' She pulled something from the pocket that shouldn't have been there, a black and gold envelope.

Will raised an eyebrow. 'Secret admirer?'

Tara gaped at it. 'I didn't take that out of the other dress…'

'What?' Liz inquired.

'Firstly,' Tara started, 'this dress doesn't, nor did it ever, have pockets. Secondly, this letter, was in the pocket of the other dress I was wearing…the white one.'

Liz shook her head. 'That's not possible.'

'Why not?' asked Will, blankly.

'The white dress doesn't have pockets either,' Liz explained smartly, 'they're both Gina's, she doesn't add the pockets.'

Tara's mouth fell open.

'Someone must really want you to read that,' Will muttered.

'Then why is it encoded!' Tara cried in frustration. 'I don't understand number talk!'

They jumped again as the left door opened and two nurses exited. One was young, carrying a large bundle of wrapped sheets, looking awkward; the other was older and more stern-faced.

The older one looked at Will. 'You'll be his son then. You can go in, just the one for now. Wait at least two hours before you invite anyone else.'

Will stood. 'Thankyou,' he looked at Tara and Liz, 'think of someone who is good with numbers. You'll figure it out.' He walked into the room and closed the door.

The nurse rounded on the remaining two as the younger one trudged off downstairs.

'You two ladies, keep your voices down!' she hissed, then turned and walked away huffily.

Liz and Tara glanced at each other guiltily.

'Help me…' Tara pleaded. Liz rose from her chair and disappeared into a room at the end of the hall. A moment or so later, she returned with a piece of parchment and an iron pen.

'Alright,' she said, sitting back down. 'Let's get to work.'

'732, a three letter word.'

'Mm, it could be, the, lay, say, way…'

'May, thy, one, two, ten, six…'

'Get, let, bet, met, wet, set…'

Tara sighed. 'Too many possibilities, let's try word number two.'

Liz nodded. '25673, let's see, a five letter word…'

An hour later, they had a parchment littered with words, but were still nowhere nearer to working out what the letter said. It was almost one in the afternoon (from what they could tell), when they finally gave up.

Liz fell back in her chair. 'This is _impossible_, there must be hundreds, even thousands, of words that could fit into this letter!'

Tara didn't answer; she was just hit with an obvious solution. She opened her mouth to tell Liz when the door on the right finally opened.

Doctor Reynolds came out, looking grim. Tara's stomach plummeted; she got shakily to her feet.

'Doctor Reynolds?'

'Miss Sparrow, I don't need to tell you, your father sustained some very serious injures,' Reynolds explained. 'The next few hours are crucial; he has lost an awful lot of blood and is, from what we can tell, suffering from Anaemia, so leave the windows open, keep his air passage clear-,'

'Doc, I know what to do in cases of Anaemia, keep going,' Tara interjected.

Reynolds looked vaguely surprised but continued. 'This type of haemorrhaging can also lead to hypovolemic shock, now this can be fatal, so what he needs now is-,'

'A transfusion,' Tara finished, 'of course, how original. How much do you need Doc?'

Reynolds nodded. 'At least 500milligrams.'

Tara nodded and followed him into the dark room. The first view of her father was shocking. He lay beaten in the bed as the nurses finished cleaning up the room. Reynolds led her to a chair by the bed.

'We don't usually do this,' he explained, 'it can prove disastrous. But we've found that the blood of an immediate family member can save lives, mind you its better than animal blood…'

Tara barely heard him as she sat down and held out her left arm. There was a sharp stab of pain as the needle was inserted. Tara stayed absolutely still as the nurses fussed about and about half an hour later, Doctor Reynolds finally said, 'I think that's enough.'

'No!' Tara said suddenly. She felt her cheeks flush and looked down. 'No, just a little more, he's still so pale.'

'You're pale enough yourself,' Reynolds replied, but nevertheless, he stepped back for another ten minutes. Then he started forward to remove the needle.

'Wait, just another minute…'

Reynolds yanked the tube from her outstretched arm. 'You've given him enough. Go downstairs while we finish up,' he caught sight of Tara's face, 'take a break. Get some food. And don't overexert yourself.'

Tara stood and stepped out the door. Liz stood up.

'Oh my,' she said softly, 'Tara your whiter than a sheet! You're sweating and your eyes…'

'I'm fine,' Tara snapped, 'can we go downstairs?' She didn't wait for an answer and started towards the stairs at the end of the hall.

'Tara, you should sit down,' Liz said from the steps behind her, 'you need to replenish your blood supply.'

'YOU!'

They both jumped as a voice yelled at them from the threshold where Norrington stood, his face red with fury. He started towards them as they reached the bottom of they staircase, Liz still stood behind Tara.

'I'm placing you under arrest,' Norrington barked, 'for assisting a felon! And that reserves right to a death sentence!'

He reached for his gun, but was clearly not expecting the Governor to speak from the nearby room.

'Commodore Norrington, she was assisting her father.'

Norrington froze. 'Her father?'

Tara's mind spun, she was overcome with vertigo. The next second, her knees buckled and she collapsed into her cousin's arms.

**Uh oh, what'll happen next? Review to find out! (Or I'll hunt you down...No, I won't really, but I just love reviews...I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS) Savvy?**


	5. Cracking the Code

**Disclaimer: Doo Bee Doo Bee Doo, Chicken! I like chicken...Oops, I think I swallowed it...**

**Stickbug** : **You come find me then! It's actually not that hard since my surname is the only one in the White Pages that's MISSPELLED! See, that's the kind of predjudice us Russian's are treated with!**

**Thanks for the reviews everbody! The week has been torture! Exams? What exams? Just kidding, I think I failed English, Math and Science...there are only four exams and my last one is tomorrow...Society and Environment...I'll fail that one too...**

Cracking the Code

**There is featured song in this chapter. One you'll probably be familiar with, it's called Here Without You by Three Doors Down.**

Tara came to, groggily. For a split second her mind was blank, blissfully blank, then everything came rushing back.

_The _Pearl_, the party, the letter, Bill, Jack…_

She sat bolt upright, gasping for air.

'Told you not to overexert yourself,' said a soft voice from the corner.

Tara jumped and looked in its direction to see Doctor Reynolds, who was already packing things away into his bag.

'How long have I-,'

'Eight hours,' he answered before she could ask, 'give or take. I just came back to check on you. Keep yourself calm, I would like at least the rest of the night off.'

'I'm sorry,' Tara apologised.

'That's all right,' Reynolds said with dignity as he started out the door, 'goodnight, Miss Sparrow.'

Tara stayed on the bed till she was sure he'd gone, then jumped up and hurried to her desk where Liz had left the envelope. She lit the small candle on the table and started at the numbers. She'd realised that it wasn't the words she should be looking for. If she could crack the code, she would know what it said.

She pulled a blank sheet toward her and started testing out different variations. It was dawn by the time it hit her. She scribbled it down, furious at herself for not getting it earlier and leaned back to survey the work.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

abc def ghi jkl mno pqr stu vwx yz

_How could it have been so simple? _She thought, starting on the code.

732. 7 – stu, 3 – ghi, 2 – def. _The. _25673…

xXx

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Liz sat up in her bed and looked around. She was alone. Evidently, Will was still with Bill. The sky outside was still dark, but many of the stars were beginning to disappear in the first rays of the morning sun.

The knocking started again. Liz pulled the covers up to her chin.

'Come in!' she said softly. Who was awake at this hour?

The door opened and Tara slid into the room, a piece of parchment in her hand.

'Tara? How long have you been awake?'

'A couple of hours,' Tara replied distractedly, 'I've cracked the code.'

Liz sat up a little straighter. 'What does it say?'

Tara unfolded the parchment and passed it to Liz.

The fourth key is lost.

Be vigilant, they'll be coming after the others.

Find Captain Jack Sparrow.

Do not return here!

Liz's jaw dropped. She looked up. 'It mentions Jack?'

Tara nodded. 'It specifies him.'

'But… are you sure it couldn't be something else?'

'Yes, Liz, I tried everything. Every combination. Every other possibility.' She collapsed on the side of the bed. 'I can't believe this, how does my faction even _know_ him?'

Liz shook her head in confusion. 'What about the fourth key? What could that be about?'

'I don't know, sounds kinda familiar, it must be important if they asked me not to return, I've always been welcome at The Settlement…Did Dad wake up while I was out?'

Liz shook her head. 'I checked on him, he looked awful. You should go sit with him if you're not too tired, he might explain the letter when he wakes up.'

Tara nodded slowly and left the room. Liz was right, there was no point worrying about the letter now, she wouldn't understand it if she tried.

She held a candle before her; the mansion was still extremely dark. Walking through the hallways at night always made her uneasy. It was not until she was directly in front of the door did she recognise where she was.

She took a deep breath and entered the room.

A single candle glowed inside, on the dresser, casting an eerie glow on the figure in the bed. Tara collapsed in the chair she'd sat in earlier and stared down at her beaten father. She placed the parchment and envelope on the bedside table. She'd heard, some years ago now, that talking to people could help in these situations.

'Hi Dad…' she paused not knowing what to say. 'Well…I'm not hanging from the gallows. Kept my nose clean like you told me to, and the Commodore didn't even find out I was your daughter until today…yesterday, that is.'

She paused again and lowered her voice. 'Jack, you have to wake up, please. I need to know about the keys, I need to know how my faction knows you. Please wake up…'

She stopped, but there was no reaction, so she leaned back in her chair, defeated. There was a soft knock on the door and it opened.

'Sorry Tara,' it was Will. 'I didn't know there was anyone here.'

Tara shrugged and heard him enter the room.

'He still not awake then?' she heard him ask.

'Nope, no progress,' Tara replied, somewhat bitterly. 'Is Bill?'

Despite the atmosphere, Will smiled. 'He came to for a few minutes an hour ago.' He sat down in the chair next to hers. 'How are you feeling? Elizabeth told me you fainted yesterday?'

'Heat of the day,' Tara lied, 'I'm fine.'

Will laughed sceptically. 'Isn't that what you always say? "I'm fine"? You're not fine, admit it.'

Tara thought about it. 'He can't do this Will,' she said on a voice unlike her own, 'not after all this time. He can't.'

'There's nothing he can do about this-,'

'He can't just do nothing! He doesn't have that right! He can't leave me again! He's already done that twice…' she trailed off, gazing thoughtfully at the back wall.

Will said nothing. The revelation that she was still holding on to past insecurities had surprised him; then again a lot of things surprised him lately.

'A thousand lies have made me colder, and I don't think I could look at this the same…' Tara sang suddenly.

Will blinked. 'What?'

Tara looked at him in astonishment, as if she hadn't known he was there. Then she looked down in alarm as Jack stirred in the bed. He didn't waken, but it was an improvement. She and Will watched him silently for a moment.

'Do you think he heard us?' Will asked softly.

'No, I think he knows someone's talking about him and wants in on the conversation…'

Will laughed. 'Probably wants to correct the story of how he "Sacked Nassau Port"…Or maybe he heard you singing…sing something else.'

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'I can't sing, Will. Clarice taught me a few songs, but I can't sing.'

'Just a bit, it makes him dance.'

'What?'

'I've always wanted to see him dance.'

'That's not right…Fine, but it doesn't leave the room…Mind you, Clarice loved this song… I'm here without you baby, but you're still on my lonely mind, I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time…' she trailed off.

'Dance,' Will urged quietly. Nothing. Then Will yelled, 'Dance Jack!'

Tara jumped at the sudden volume and smacked Will across the shoulder. 'Ssh!' But it was too late. The next second the door flew open and Maria strode in, looking furious.

'What're you two doing!' she hissed. 'There's a sick man in that bed! Don't disturb his rest! Do you even know who he is!'

'Yes, he's my father and I don't appreciate being yelled at in his _presence_,' Tara snapped, sounding as dramatic as possible.

The maid's face crumpled. 'Your father?'

'Yes, my _father,'_ she replied as Will struggled to keep a straight face, 'now if you _don't_ mind, we're teaching him to dance. Shoo!'

She waved her hands in the air and ushered the maid out of the room yelling 'Out! Out! Out! Out!'

As she began closing the door, Liz sidled in, looking bewildered she asked, 'Why are you teaching Jack to dance?'

Tara glanced back at Will and they both burst into laughter.

**_This ad better sell some blo-oo-oo-oo-oo-dy beeeerrr!_ And if it doesn't...review!**


	6. Sticks and Stones

**Disclaimer: _We're happy little Vegemites, as bright as bright can be,  
we all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch and tea,  
our mommy says we're growing stronger every single week,  
because we love our Vegemite, we all adore our Vegemite  
it puts a rose in every cheek! _**

**I HATE Vegemite...It taste like... ummm...has anyone ever tried Kangaroo testicles?  
**

**Sticks and Stones**

'You'd better have some lunch Tara, get out of this room a bit.'

Governor Swann looked in on Tara later that afternoon.

Tara shook her head. 'No I mustn't, he might wake up.'

'You can't stay in this room all the time,' said Swann, 'go, get out of the house, get some air. I'll have the maids look in on him from time to time. If he wakens I'll send for you right away.'

Tara nodded and stood, turning to leave the room. She glanced back along the way. Halfway to the staircase, she stopped, realising she was still wearing the black and purple dress from the day before. She detoured to her room to change.

Inside, it was evident the maids had been in. The bed was done up, the windows were open and the small mountain of parchment on her desk had been removed. She strode to her wardrobe and pulled open the doors, then winced as a sharp pain ran through her left arm. She glanced down to realise that she pulled the skin around the wound left by the needle.

She stared at it for several seconds, then closed the doors of the wardrobe. She turned back to her bed, walked around to the side and knelt down to retrieve the brown sling bag, and the red carpet bag, the ones that contained her _real_ clothes. She pulled the bags open and sorted through them, withdrawing one of her favourite outfits. A short-sleeved, Chinese top which she got from Master Jin's wife, in the colours of her faction, gold and black, and black denim, three-quarter length pants which Clarice had given her on her last visit. She pulled on her black, ankle-high stilettos (it seemed like a long time ago when she'd watched them sinking into the sand at the beach), grabbed a black jacket, walked out of her room and started down the stairs.

'Tara?'

She paused on the first landing and looked at Will, holding his coat.

'Where are you going?' she asked him.

'Work. Where are _you _going?' he echoed.

'Outside,' Tara answered. 'Why are you going to work, I thought you'd be with Bill?'

Will pulled on his coat. 'It was his idea, he said he wanted to speak to Elizabeth anyway. Good to see you out of the dresses. Back in your colours?'

'Entirely gold and black,' Tara muttered, 'would you like some company?'

Will peered up at her for a moment then nodded. 'Why not?'

xXx

It was cloudy again, there was no wind but the rain still threatened to fall, yet the town was still as busy as ever. The marketplace was bustling and children were playing games in the streets.

Tara and Will made their way through the crowd to the Blacksmith's shop. As they did, they passed a familiar group of people by the Baker's shop.

'Urgh,' Tara muttered in disgust, 'it's John and his gang of goons…oh, and how could I forget his little _girlfriend, _Annabelle…'

Will peered at the group. It consisted of the boy who'd thrown the rock at Tara two days earlier, four of his friends, and two young girls, one of whom was flirting openly with John.

'Isn't that the group who are always hounding you?' Will asked softly as they reached his shop.

Tara nodded. 'Mm, hmm. Yeah.'

'Do you want me to talk to them?'

It was at this point that Tara suddenly realised how much of a brother Will had become to her. His support meant more than words could place.

'Uh, no,' she said slowly, 'it's alright, I mean…I may not be a pirate in their eyes, but I do know the terrain.'

Will grinned. 'Well you're a pirate in my eyes.'

'Aww, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside!'

Will laughed and they said their goodbye's. Tara watched him go into his shop before deciding on what to do next. She was attracting several apprehensive stares for her attire, but couldn't particularly be bothered caring. A moment later, she decided on her destination. The _Pearl _floated vacantly in the Harbour…

xXx

Tara strode aboard and looked around, satisfied to see that nothing was missing. She glanced behind her, for no reason in particular, then walked into the Captain's Quarters. The inside was rather dusty. On one of the chairs at the table hung her father's jacket, just as she remembered it. On a cabinet near the window lay his sword and pistol. She stepped toward them and picked them up.

Unsheathing the sword she tested its balance. She never held it before, it was like some sort of priceless relic. She ran her hand over the blade. It shone slightly, reminding her of a pale moon. She stared at it in her hand for a moment or two, noticing Jack's initials inscribed on the blade near the handle.

'This'll be so great…'

She jumped as voices came from outside. She knew those voices. It was John, Annabelle and the goon gang, a few second later she heard footsteps above her. They were at the Helm. They were at _her father's_ Helm.

xXx

'I cannot believe, _we_ are aboard the infamous _Black Pearl_…'

Annabelle rotated in a slow circle, staring up at the sails.

'Look at me,' said John in his British accent, with his hands on the wheel, 'I'm Jack Sparrow!'

'In. Your. Dreams,' said a new voice clearly from the stairs.

All but John jumped and spun around to face Tara, who was watching them all with a dark look in her eye.

'What are _you_ doing here?' asked John smirking. 'Surely they wouldn't let a novice aboard.'

His friends laughed.

'I came aboard on my own,' snapped Tara in reply, 'more to the fact, what are you doing here?'

'My father's the Harbour Master,' said John puffing his chest out proudly, his hands still on the wheel.

Tara cocked her head a little to the left. 'Oh, well maybe I'll ask him. Get your hands off the wheel.'

John sneered. His friends laughed again. 'Make me.' He tightened his grip.

Tara's temper snapped. Without further thought she strode forward, drawing the sword she had concealed beneath her jacket. She raised it to John's neck. 'Hands off.'

'That's Sparrow's sword!' breathed one of his friends. 'Look at the inscription!'

'What're you a thief now?' said John his eyes narrowed. 'You don't have the nerve.'

Tara lowered the cutlass, watching him thoughtfully.

'What are you wearing?' asked Annabelle's friend finally.

Suddenly Tara stabbed the blade into the deck boards, raised herself up and double-kicked John in the gut. He doubled over wheezing.

'Have you lost your mind completely, Bell!' shrieked Annabelle.

'Sparrow,' Tara corrected softly.

The group stared at her blankly.

'What?' someone asked.

'Yeah,' Tara muttered, 'that's me. Tara Jacklyn Sparrow. Still think I'm a novice?' She lowered the sword beneath John chin then raised it, forcing him to look up.

'Now…' she said, still keeping her voice deathly quiet, 'you will get off my father's ship, you will _stay_ off my father's ship and you will not _come back _ to my father's ship, because if you do I may get mad, and we don't want that, do we?' The group shook their heads vigorously. 'No, of course you don't…'

Tara straightened up, sheathed the sword once more and retreated to the Captain's Quarters. Several seconds later, she heard scrambling away and grinned proudly. With one obstacle out of her way, the great depression in her stomach lifted slightly and she turned, grabbed her father's jacket and hurried back to the Swan Mansion.

**"NOT HAPPY JAN!"** (**Yellow pages commercial)**


	7. The Honourable Mr Turner

**Disclaimer: Not telling**

**Oh that was mean... **

**The Honourable Mr. Turner**

Elizabeth reached the foot of the stairs just as Tara opened the front door and strode inside. They stopped short and stared at each other for a split second.

'There you are,' said Liz softly. 'I've been looking for you, Bill wants to thank you.'

Tara blinked her mind suddenly very empty. 'Thank me for what?'

Liz smiled warmly. 'Saving his life.'

'I didn't save his life, he should thank Reynolds,' Tara replied, shaking her head and hanging up her jacket. 'Is Jack awake?'

'No,' Liz said, watching her cousin thoughtfully. 'I'll take the coat to his room, but you have to talk to Bill.'

Tara stared at her for a moment then handed her Jack's coat and weapons and followed her upstairs.

As they reached the two bedrooms, Liz walked into the left door, leaving Tara by the right. She took a deep breath and walked in.

The room, in contrast to her father's, was very bright and airy. It was styled with green wallpaper and red timber, making it look elegantly comfortable. An empty bed stood between two doors leading out to the balcony, and at one of the doors stood…

'Mr. Turner.'

He jumped slightly and turned. As he recognised her, his face relaxed into a smile. He was a relatively handsome man, his face prematurely lined, his hair thin but neat. He peered at her with very warm and inviting brown eyes.

'Tara,' he said in a voice that reminded her slightly of Master Jin's, 'my, how you've grown.'

Tara raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

'The last time I saw you, you were around six,' he explained quickly, 'and now you're-,'

'Sixteen,' Tara finished.

'I was going to say a beautiful young woman with a heart and brain to match.'

Tara felt slightly embarrassed, but threw it off swiftly. 'You should be resting Mr. Turner.'

Bill laughed. 'And polite! Not since my wife passed have I been called Mr. Turner! Call me Bill, in any case, I've had more than enough rest, I feel that I could run a marathon!'

He paused, still peering at her from the corner of his eye. 'Although I'm sure you have questions…'

Tara nodded. 'The main of which is how is it that my father found you?'

Bill looked around at her, impressed. 'Well, you are the first to ask me that question. I daresay, everyone else thinks I'm far too fragile.'

'You survived two bullets in the back, that's strength, not weakness.'

'Thankyou, for that, I think you deserve to have your questions answered. Not far from the Settlement, is La Romana. I had been arrested there. Your father had been visiting the Settlement. It was by mere chance that he found out where I was. One of the settlers at that Camp had been into town the day I was arrested and happened to catch my name. Jack had helped me escape with assistance from the Camp's leader, Jin.' He paused.

Tara had tensed at the sound of her old Master's name.

'You know him?' Bill asked, noticing a difference in her body language.

'The settlement was a training and recruitment camp,' Tara said softly.

Bill nodded. 'How did you know?'

'Just keep going.'

'Very well…Jin asked for a single favour afterwards. Something very important was in danger; he'd asked us to hide some of it while he kept the rest. We did so, hiding them where they'd never be found except by someone who knew where to look. We were on our way back here when we were ambushed.'

Tara's heart was racing now. 'By who?'

Bill stared at her curiously and leaned on the dresser. 'By the enemy. They took us completely by surprise, we didn't see them coming. Next thing I know is I'm waking up with my son at my bedside.'

Tara suddenly found herself thinking back to all the people she'd been taught were enemies of the peacekeeping tribunal.

'_Do_ you know him?' Bill repeated.

'Yes,' Tara muttered breathlessly, 'yes, he was my Master, my trainer, whatever…Why was Jack at the Temple?'

Bill stared at her blankly. 'I don't know, I'm afraid that's a question you'll want to ask him.'

Tara turned and started for the door.

'Wait.'

She looked back at Bill.

'Thankyou,' he said simply.

She nodded and stepped into the corridor, closing the door and looking left and right. The next second Liz stepped out of the room on her side and looked at her in surprise.

'That was certainly a short visit,' she muttered softly. Tara grabbed her arm and led her down the corridor and into the music room, then sat her down on the piano bench and retold her Bill's story. When she finished, Liz was frowning slightly.

'So,' she began, 'your old Master recruited Jack, Bill and the crew to hide half of something? Tara, what if it's-,'

'The Keys?' Tara finished. 'What else could it be if they asked me to warn them?'

' "Be vigilant, they'll be coming after the others",' Liz repeated thoughtfully.

Tara shook her head miserably. 'Looks like there's nothing else for it then…'

Liz looked up at her. 'What do you mean?'

'I have to get the Keys.'

Liz jumped up. 'No,' she said firmly.

Tara stayed near the Cello. 'Liz, I have to. I keep getting that horrible nagging feeling that these Keys are really important!'

Liz stepped forward. 'No, leave it to your friends, Jack made Will and I promise-,' she stopped dead.

Tara stared at her. 'Promise what?'

Liz looked hesitant.

'Promise what?' Tara repeated slowly.

'Promise that we'd look after you if anything happened to him,' Liz muttered staring at the ground.

Tara's mouth fell open, she felt a lump rise in her throat. 'But-but, he couldn't have known, he wouldn't have…No! He didn't plan this! I'm going no matter what you say! Liz, I have to…'

'Tara, you saw what happened to Jack and Bill. The people who did this…they're brutal, they want those Keys, and they've already got one!'

'All the more reason to stop them.'

'You realise that this could well be a repeat of what happened four months ago?'

Tara nodded and took a deep breath. 'Although I hope otherwise.'

They both fell silent as rain started falling on the roof.

'I'm coming with you,' Liz said suddenly.

Tara looked up. 'You have to stay here with Will and Bill and Jack.'

Liz shook her head again. 'Will can stay with them, we won't tell them, but I promised your father I'd look after you and that is exactly what I am going to do. Our main problem is finding the keys Jack and Bill hid.'

Tara thought about it. 'There is a way, but we'd have to tell Bill what we're planning. Come with me.'

* * *

** How do you get rid of those lines! They won't go away!**  



	8. And so the Journey Begins: Again

**Disclaimer- Excitement!**

**Oh MY GOD! I saw the preview for _Pirates of the Caribbean 2_, it's sooooo brilliant, but many of you already knew that (at least you SHOULD have). It's so cool, Will's like "I'm not leaving without Jack!" and then Jack comes around the bend being chased by like a hundred people so Will just goes "Nevermind!" and bolts, it's so funny, better when you actually see it but... **

**And so the Journey Begins…Again**

Bill Turner sat in the armchair by the window, watching the rainfall, his thoughts on his friend in the other room. The curtains on the other side of the bed rustled slightly. The sound of trickling water audible over the rhythm of the rain. A knock on the door knocked him back to his senses.

'Come in,' he called half-heartedly. Tara and Liz walked into the room. Liz closed the door.

Bill smiled slightly. 'Tara, Elizabeth. To what do I owe the pleasure?'

Tara walked to the chair and knelt beside it. 'Where are the Keys?'

Bill's breath caught in his throat. 'What?'

'The Keys,' Tara repeated, pulling the envelope and parchment from the pocket of her denims and handing them to Bill.

He read over the message, then the decoded version. ' "The fourth Key is lost"? How…?'

'Where, are, the, Keys?' Tara said again, still kneeling by the chair.

Bill looked at her curiously. 'What are you planning?'

'We're going after them,' Liz said from behind Tara, 'but we need to know where they are.'

'And we're going to find the crew in the process,' Tara added.

Bill stared at them. 'I'll tell you, on the condition that you take me with you.'

Tara looked back Liz.

'Bill, you're not fully healed yet,' Liz murmured, 'it's too dangerous.'

Bill's eyes narrowed. 'That's exactly why you're going to take me, it _is_ too dangerous.'

Tara looked down. He was as stubborn as Will. 'Fine, you can come, but we can't afford anyone else to go missing, we need as much time between us and the Navy as possible, so you're not to tell anyone else, that includes Will.'

Bill stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. 'Isla de Muerta.'

Tara frowned in confusion. 'Isla de Muerta?'

'That's where we hid the Keys. It's the safest place in the world to hide treasure.'

'Not anymore,' Liz said in a low voice.

'I don't know how to get to Isla de Muerta,' Tara muttered, searching her mind.

Bill sat up a little straighter. 'Jack's compass,' he explained, 'just get his compass and it should lead us straight there.'

Liz nodded, understanding. Tara stood up and stepped to the window, looking into the easing rain.

'We'll need a ship,' Liz thought out loud.

'I know where to get a crew,' Bill muttered, 'but it's true, there is a little snag of finding a ship.'

The solution popped into Tara's head. 'The answer to that little snag is floating in the Harbour.'

Bill and Liz glanced at each other before joining Tara at the window. They followed her gaze directly to the _Black Pearl_…

xXx

'Tara have you seen Elizabeth?'

Tara looked down at her Uncle from the ladder and quickly slipped the book she was holding back onto the shelf.

'No, not for a while Uncle Weatherby,' she lied swiftly, 'perhaps she's with Will?'

Swann shook his head. 'No, William just got back, he hasn't seen her either.'

Tara slid down the ladder to the floor. 'I'm sure she's fine, she'll be-,'

Liz walked through the doors to the Library. 'Hello father,' she said brightly, 'everything's fine,' she added pointedly to Tara. Tara got the message immediately. Liz had just spent four and a half hours ordering supplies aboard the _Pearl_ as its original stocks had been depleted. They were planning to set sail later that evening.

'Great,' Tara muttered, 'that's great…' She looked to the doors as Will came hurrying into the room, looking frantic.

'Tara!' he started breathlessly. 'It's Jack, he's awake!'

Tara's mouth fell open. She looked desperately at Liz. They both followed Will back upstairs.

'What now? We still need the compass,' Liz whispered from the corner of her mouth.

'Tell Bill to stuff his bed with pillows so it looks like he's sleeping, meet me on the _Pearl_ in ten minutes,' Tara hissed back

Liz nodded and she and Will stopped near the door. She said something in his ear and he hurried away, then she winked at Tara and stepped into Bill's room.

Tara stared at the door to her Father's room and glanced at the clock at the end of the corridor. 10:45, the Time Keepers had been in earlier that day. She pushed open the door and slipped inside.

She was surprised to see that Jack was already trying to sit up and strode across the room and pushed him back down by the shoulders.

'Hello luv,' he said hoarsely.

Tara felt a stab of guilt. 'Don't make it worse for yourself.'

'Hey, you hair's grown,' he said.

The stab became more numerous and painful. 'That's what hair does.'

'Did you always look so much like your mother?'

It became more like a painful slicing motion. 'You should rest, Dad.'

'You should call me that more often.'

Suddenly it felt like someone was ripping her heart out. 'I saved your hat.'

Jack finally grinned. 'Bring it here then.'

Tara turned and walked across the room to the desk, where the hat lay and the coat had been draped over the chair. She slipped the envelope and parchment into one of the pockets. When she turned back, she was relieved to see that Jack had fallen asleep again. She stared at him for a minute, guilt still flooding through her veins. She bent down and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then turned and started for the window. She pulled it open and looked around. No one there, she slipped through it onto the lattice and climbed to the ground. Soundlessly, she grabbed the bag she'd hidden in the bushes and started running for the docks. By her calculations, she still had three minutes or the _Pearl_ would leave without her.

xXx

'You made it!' cheered Liz as Tara boarded and dragged up the gangplank behind her.

'Yeah...' Tara gasped, breathless from having run so far.

'What about the compass?' said a voice from the stairs to the Poopdeck.

Tara and Liz turned to look at Bill through the darkness. Tara pulled the small, blue case from her pocket and tossed it to him.

'Captain away, first mate,' Tara said, dropping her bag. She and Liz started for the anchor wheel as Bill made his way to the Helm.

**EEEKKK! I can't breathe...well excussse me for being the biggest fan ever!**


	9. A Ship Comandeered

**Disclaimer: AND REALLY BAD EGGS!**

**I saw the preview and I recorded it so now I have it till I get the movie...that should tide me over for July, and I saw it on ET at 3pm on channel nine, at least here in Perth anyway... Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming, I'm suffering writer's block and I need inspiration! **

**A Ship Commandeered, and the New Crew**

Early the next morning, Will found himself awake and wandering the Hallways pondering where his wife would have gone at four in the morning. He didn't worry too much about it as he looked in at Jack.

'What are you doing?' Will hissed as he watched his friend try to get up.

Jack blinked and peered at him. 'Morning whelp.'

'Jack, I'm glad to hear you're starting to sound more like yourself, but you're in a mansion, there's no need to try to escape,' Will explained pushing him back down and sitting in the chair next to his bed.

'Escaping is what I'm good at.'

Will rolled his eyes. 'Congratulations.'

Jack laughed and shifted slightly. 'So low long're you planning to keep me here?'

'Until you're better.'

'I am better!'

'You are not!'

'Am so!'

'Are not!'

'Am so!'

'Child!'

'Coward!'

Will smiled. 'Did you talk to Tara?'

Jack was still grinning. 'Briefly. Where is the girl?'

Will shrugged. 'I cannot find Elizabeth either, they were muttering earlier, I think they're planning something. Father wouldn't tell me anything, but I have a sneaking suspicion he knows what's going on.'

'How is Bill?' Jack asked.

'He's fine, sleeping…'

'Has he spoken to Tara?' said Jack, sounding as indifferent as possible.

Will nodded.

'Did she, er…say what they talked about?'

'No.'

Jack thought about it for a moment. He wouldn't have told her about the Keys, would he? 'Pass my jacket boy.'

Will raised an eyebrow but stood, picked up the jacket and handed it to Jack who started rummaging through the pockets.

'What are you looking for?' Will asked, confused.

'Where's my compass?' Jack said, shaking the jacket upside down. No compass. But an envelope and piece of parchment did fall out.

'On the _Pearl_?' suggested Will. 'Isn't that Tara's…?'

Jack pulled open the envelope and stared at the numbers vacantly. He unfolded the parchment and read the message. 'When did she get this?'

Will shrugged. 'The day we found you.'

'Will? Where's the _Pearl_?' Jack sat up straighter. They both looked out the open window. There was a moment of dread before the pair realised the ship was gone. A second later, Will sprinted out of the room, to the one next door. He raced to the bed and pulled back the covers, staring down at the pillows in horror. He turned to see Jack standing in the doorway.

'I assume those aren't supposed to be there?' he muttered. Will started back to the Hallway, but stopped halfway down and turned back.

'Where are they?' he snapped at Jack, suddenly realising his friend wasn't panicking as much as he was.

Jack turned, watching him pensively. He almost winced as he realised, he'd have to be honest for once.

xXx

Tara yawned and fell back on the deck, watching the sails above her head in silence. 'At least we don't have to go ashore this time,' she said to Elizabeth, who was sitting with her back against the railings, her legs tucked neatly beneath her.

'I can't move my arms anyway,' Liz muttered.

They'd been running to and fro for the last nine hours, making sure they'd get to Tortuga at top speed. Once they reached the island, they lay anchor and Bill had gone ashore to find the crew.

'Well, on the bright side, we're still alive,' perked Tara, tapping the heel of her boot on the deck boards.

Liz raised an eyebrow. 'What, you didn't think we would be?'

Tara raised herself up on her elbows and wiped some dirt off her dark-green, three quarters. 'I was actually thinking I'd drop dead in the first hour. They must not want those Keys _that_ much…'

Liz laughed. 'If there's one thing I've learnt in the last two years, it's never to underestimate the power of human stupidity.'

Tara snorted and burst into laughter. 'Smartass…'

Liz smiled guiltily and smoothed out a crease on her blue shirt. 'Do you feel guilty for stealing it?'

Tara looked around and sat up, drawing her legs up and resting her elbows on her knees. 'Commandeering, honey, the nautical term is commandeering, and no, not really, it's for a good cause, right?'

'I suppose,' Liz murmured thoughtfully, 'if there really are Keys…we don't even know why they're so important…'

Tara looked up at the clouds, thinking. She was sure she'd heard of Keys before, she was sure these ones were important, but she wasn't sure how or why. But what if they were…

'Tired already?'

She and Liz looked around to see Bill duck under the railings and straighten up on the deck.

'Absolutely,' said Tara boldly. She climbed to her feet. 'And the crew is…'

'On their way,' finished Bill, 'some of the finest people you'll find in Tortuga!'

'I wasn't aware there were fine people in Tortuga,' said Liz playfully from her position at the railing.

Bill looked down at her and grinned. 'You'd be surprised at the people you find.' He sat down on a nearby crate.

Tara watched him curiously. 'You and my father have been friends for a while, right?'

'Yes,' Bill replied.

'So it would be fair to say you know him pretty well, right?'

'Yes…'

'But what if I were to ask you about my mother?'

Bill's eyes narrowed but he didn't answer the question. Instead he said, 'You should be asking me about the Keys instead.'

Tara frowned. 'That was certainly very straight forward, alright then, what are the Keys?'

'That's a fine question,' Bill replied, 'ask Jack.'

'What?' Liz said suddenly. 'You mean you don't know?'

Bill shook his head. 'Jack does, I know better than to ask.'

Tara sat down on a crate next to his. 'Well that was-,'

'Did someone here ask for a crew?'

The three of them looked around to see a dozen or so men and three women climbing onto the deck and looking around in awe. The man who'd spoken seemed to be their leader. He had short, black hair, grey eyes and had an awful lot of freckles all over his face and arms.

Bill stood up and strode forward to shake the man's hand. 'Yes, thankyou for getting here so fast Julian, I'm Bill Turner,' he turned to Tara and Liz (who had already scrambled to her feet), 'this is my daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Turner,' (Liz inclined her head to the group), 'and the Captain's daughter, Tara Sparrow.'

Tara didn't move, watching the group somewhat apprehensively.

'Jack's girl?' asked a blonde-haired woman. 'I thought that was just a rumour?'

'I assure you it's not,' Bill said, throwing a hasty glance in Tara's direction.

She simply surveyed them with her darkly lined eyes. They all stared back, some awed, others completely blankly. 'Are we gonna have a staring contest, or are we gonna get this ship moving?' Tara said clearly, breaking the silence.

She seemed to have passed some sort of test because the group immediately scattered in different directions. Bill caught her eye and raised an eyebrow. She merely shrugged and started for the Helm.

**The staring contest idea was from my sister. See, she came in to work one day and all her co-workers were lined up in two lines facing one another, when she asked what was ging on her boss was like "Staring contest". I thought that was pretty funny, pity she quit...**


	10. Isla De Muerta

**Disclaimer:_ Down to the sea we go, down to a world I know, there's never been, not ever before, a child born of sea and shore... _Kristy's watching Little Mermaid 2...  
**

**Isla de Muerta**

'So you lost your daughter, and now you need my help to find her?'

'No.'

Norrington raised an eyebrow.

'We need a _ship_ to find her.'

Will bit his tongue. The Gallows was not the best place to have Jack asking Norrington for a favour. Swann stood silently next to Will looking slightly green.

'Give me one good reason-,' started Norrington.

'Three,' Jack corrected, smoothly.

'What?'

'Tara, Elizabeth and Bill. That's three.'

'If you think-,'

'Yeah, c'mon…It's not like I'm asking you to come…far from it, in fact…'

'I _will_ have to come, or you will not return it!'

'Why would I want your ship? I've got my own.'

'The fact remains that-,'

'You don' need facts. Just give us a ship.'

'I am not-,'

'Sure you are, just give us a ship.'

'You are missing the-,'

'Need I repeat myself? It does get rather tiring…'

'You cannot just-,'

'Commodore Norrington,' interjected Swann before a full scale argument broke out, 'I do not need to implore on you the seriousness of this. These people who want these…these…_Keys_, are ruthless, they'll stop at nothing to get them. If Tara, Elizabeth and Mr. Turner really went after them, there's no knowing what could happen.'

Norrington took a deep breath. 'Mr. Mullroy!'

Mullroy scampered forward. 'Yes Sir?'

With the final battle of conscience, Norrington said, 'Prepare the _Dauntless_ for immediate departure.' He turned and started for the docks, Mullroy at his side.

Jack looked curiously at Swann. 'Nice speech.'

Swann glared at him from the corner of his eye and started after Norrington, Will followed, leaving Jack still at the Gallows. He looked up at them nervously and hurried after the others.

xXx

'Jack are you sure this is the right way?'

Jack looked at his friend curiously. 'What? Don't trust me?'

Will rolled his eyes and leaned on the railing. 'What kind of question is that? You're the only one who can find my wife and father.'

It was late in the afternoon, and, according to Jack, they had almost reached Isla de Muerta. He and Will stood at the railings of the Foredeck.

'Let's not forget who else we're trying to find,' Jack muttered, darkly.

Will looked down at the rushing water. 'These Keys…how many did you say there were?'

'Seven. We took three.'

'What do they do?'

'Dunno.'

'So why did you hide them?'

'Repaying the favour.'

'What favour?'

Jack sighed in frustration. 'They looked after Tara for a year, I owe them that much.'

'Oh…' Will looked back at the water. 'It wasn't a year…'

'Don't rub it in whelp…'

'Land ahoy!'

Jack and Will looked up simultaneously. Isla de Muerta wasn't far off.

xXx

'Are you sure we can trust them on the _Pearl_?'

'Yes.'

'They won't steal it?'

'No.'

'Coz Jack would kill me-,'

'I trust them and so should you.'

Tara gazed at Bill's back for a moment then finally nodded. She sat at the front of the rowboat, holding a lantern in front of them as Bill manoeuvred the boat through the maze of caves toward the main chamber. Liz sat silently in the back; the last she was in these caves she had been a prisoner, and had never intended to return.

'You alright Lizzy?' Tara said softly, using her nickname first the first time in years.

Liz looked at her in surprise. 'I'm fine, just reminding myself that Barbossa really _is_ dead…'

'I still have no idea who you're talking about…' Tara muttered, looking down at the gold coins in the clear water.

There was a loud scraping noise as the boat landed on the cold stone. Tara jumped out and held it in place as the other two followed. They moved slowly into the dimly lit chamber, the many mountains of treasure reflected the light, the large stone case stood in its own patch of light on top of the mound of coins.

Tara gazed at it. 'Silence is creepy…'

'I agree,' muttered Liz, 'let's find this box, shall we.'

She started to the left of the cave, Bill started for the right, and Tara took the middle.

'It's circular, black and has Chinese carvings painted gold!' Bill called as he and Liz disappeared into adjoining chambers.

'Right,' Tara murmured, looking around the very vast chamber, 'great…'

xXx

'There she is, Captain Sparrow!'

Jack peered through the mist at the _Black Pearl_. It didn't seem to be sinking, that was a good thing…

Will moved to his side, watching the dark ship grow closer and closer.

'Who are you?' he asked blankly as they pulled up beside it.

A middle-aged woman with red hair stared at him. 'Why? Who're you?'

Norrington smiled with satisfaction. Finally, someone who didn't know Sparrow…or at least didn't seem to.

Jack's eyes scanned the decks. 'Where'd they go?'

The woman blinked. 'Wait…you…aren't you…?'

Jack rolled his eyes.

'They've gone into the caves!' called a man from the crow's nest.

By the time anyone had registered what the man had said, Will and Jack were already pulling a rowboat free from the ropes and lowering it to the water.

**Eek? What'll happen next. I know, but you don't. Review! Review! Review!**


	11. The 7 Keys to the First Circle

**Disclaimer: Welcome friends…Happy little verse from "Under the Sea"**

_The seaweed is always greener_  
_In somebody else's lake_  
_You dream about going up there_  
_But that is a big mistake_  
_Just look at the world around you_  
_Right here on the ocean floor_  
_Such wonderful things surround you_  
_What more is you lookin' for?_

**The Seven Keys to the First Circle**

Tara rummaged through a large wooden chest with no success. She sighed and threw a silver chalice back inside, then a shiver ran down her spine and she straightened up, alarmed. She couldn't shake the eerie feeling of being watched.

She turned; the large stone chest drew her attention immediately. She moved forward slowly, running her hand over a large boulder, staring, entranced by the chest. She climbed up the mound of gold and moved around it so that she was facing the entrance of the chamber.

She ran her hand over the intricate carvings in the surface of the lid, then, still captivated, she pushed it off the chest. It slid off easily, revealing the pile of medallions inside. A knife lay on the top of the gold, caked with dry blood. She paid it no notice, instead staring at the medallions. There was something engraved in them…something enticing…she had to see what it was, no point in not knowing…there was something else in that chest…something she was looking for…

'Tara!'

Tara cried out in shock and withdrew her hand from the chest, looking up at the entrance to the chamber where Jack stood looking furious.

'Don't _do_ that!' she cried.

'Don't do _that_!' he snapped in reply.

Will suddenly appeared at his side, looking up at Tara in surprise. 'Tara, step away from the chest…'

'Jack?' said Bill's voice from her left.

'Will?' said Liz from her right.

Tara stepped back, then suddenly, lost her footing and fell, toppling to the hard stone behind the pile. 'Whoa!' She sat and rubbed the back of her head.

'Why didn't you tell her they were cursed!' came her father's voice from the entrance.

She rose to her feet and started around the pile.

'Holy hell!' she cried, in reference to Norrington who was standing directly behind Jack with a sour look on his face. 'Alright, it's official, I have had about three heart attacks in quick succession…'

'You're about to get a lot more than a heart attack,' Jack muttered darkly.

'You're supposed to be resting!' Tara snapped indignantly.

'What were you thinking!'

'I was thinking about the crew!'

'They're nothing to do with you!'

'They're missing!'

'It's not up t' you to find them!'

Tara opened her mouth to reply but Bill suddenly stepped between them, putting a stop to the argument. 'That's enough from both of you. Jack, you're not well, don't do this to yourself.'

'Bill's right,' Liz said softly, ignoring Norrington's confused stare, 'you shouldn't do this Jack, and the same goes for you Tara. You gave up an awful lot of blood-,'

'What? Why?' said Jack suddenly. 'What happened to your blood? Where does Dracula come in!'

Tara sighed. 'No, no, no! The Keys Jack, where did you hide the Keys?' She paused. 'Dracula?'

Norrington let out a soft note of irritation.

Jack glared at him. 'Listen mate, I'm about to take that parasol over there and stick it up your-,'

'It's in the Aztec chest isn't it?' Tara questioned suddenly realising why it seemed so enticing.

Jack broke off and peered at her from the corner of his eye. That look was all the answer Tara needed. She turned and strode back to the chest, pushing aside the medallions to reveal the circular, black box, with the Temple symbol. She pulled it out carefully. 'Of course, where else but in plain view…'

'You've got it, can we go now?' Jack asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Tara looked up at him but didn't argue. She still felt as though they were being watched. And that's just it…they were…

xXx

'You were meant t' warn me, not do the job!'

'I wouldn't have had to do either if you hadn't gone to the settlement!'

Tara and Jack were arguing, again. They'd argued all the way back to the _Pearl_ and now stood on the Main Deck while the crew stood staring, having not seen one of their feuds before. Norrington and the Governor had boarded and were wearing the same looks as the crew. Bill was frowning in confusion. Will and Liz were standing together at the foot of the stairs to the Poopdeck, looking very exasperated.

'I's none of your business where I go!'

'It's none of my business, is it? My old Master gives you these Keys…and…what are they for anyway!' Tara looked suddenly at Norrington, 'And what are you still doing here!'

Jack ignored her last comment at Norrington. 'They unlock something called the Firs' Circle, and it wasn't your Master who gave them to me, it was his wife.'

Tara froze. _The First Circle_, it came in a rush, everything she knew about the First Circle. Her mouth fell open as Bill started on Jack.

'Jack give her some credit,' he said, defensively, 'it was very clever the way she put it together. Elizabeth too. You cannot blame them for curiosity.'

Jack's eyes narrowed. 'Whose side are you on?'

Meanwhile Tara was suddenly finding it hard to breathe. 'The First Circle…' Everyone stared at her.

'Yes, the First Circle,' Jack muttered, he raised an eyebrow, recognising his daughter's expression. 'What?'

'May Lee, gave you…she gave you…you got…'

'Got what?'

'The _Seven Keys to the First Circle_!' Tara said in a hushed whisper. 'Why…that's not…you're not allowed…oh, what has she done…?' She started wringing her hands nervously.

Jack frowned and glanced at Bill who was looking at Tara stumped.

Will, who had been holding the circular black box, looked down at it and pried it open. The inside was lined with purple velvet. There were four indents; in another three lay the Keys. The looked like the arrow-hands of a clock, with intricate spiral carvings in the middle of the dowel. They were about twenty centimetres (two-thirds of a foot) in length, each of a different colour. Each indent was numbered, inside number five lay a green arrow for earth, number six had a silver arrow for metal and number seven held a gold arrow. They sparkled brilliantly, even though the sky was overcast and the sun wasn't visible.

'Is that iron?' Liz asked softly drawing Tara's attention.

'Coloured gold, and for God's sake, keep it closed!' she said loudly.

Will snapped the lid shut as a spark of lightning and a rumble of thunder came from above, making everyone jump.

'She messed with the balance…' Tara muttered looking up at the clouds.

'What balance?' Liz questioned, glancing up too as if expecting to suddenly have the sky answering all the questions.

Tara looked back at the deck, her brow furrowed in confusion. 'The weather…the Time Keepers…'

'What are you talking about!' snapped Jack in frustration.

Tara glared at him. 'The clocks have been running late.'

'But that could be the clocks malfunctioning,' suggested Swann, speaking for the first time.

'Not all over the island,' said Will softly.

'We need to get the Keys back together,' Tara muttered, more to herself than anyone. 'Where are the others?'

Jack was still staring at Tara in confusion. 'The settlement…'

'But the crew-,' started Bill.

'Are either still alive or already dead,' Tara filled, 'and if they're still alive then they're being kept as hostages and won't be harmed just yet. Right now we need to get to The Settlement, get the Keys back together and get them back to their temple…or where ever it is that they go, so…who's driving?'

Jack shook his head. 'I'm not sailing my ship to China…'

'They're not Chinese,' snapped Tara, 'I told you, I don't know where they're from, nobody does. But I do know someone who knows where they're going.'

There was a prolonged silence.

Then Will finally said; 'I'm coming with you.' He glanced at Bill, who nodded once to show he understood.

'As am I,' said Liz softly. She looked at the Governor, 'I'll be fine.'

He nodded also and started off the ship. Norrington stood quietly, contemplating them all. A moment later, he turned on his heel and walked back across the gangplank and onto the _Dauntless_. No one on the _Pearl_ moved as the Navy ship disappeared in the fog.

Jack looked Tara in the eye. 'My Quarter's now,' he looked at Bill, Will and Liz, 'that goes for you three too.'

**Oh, what the hell, here's a chorus! **

_Under the sea, under the sea  
Darling it's better down where it's wetter _( The Sea!)  
_Take it from me  
Up on the shore they work all day  
Out in the sun they slave away  
While we're devoting full time to floating  
Under the sea_

**Does the Title make sense now!**_  
_


	12. Jack Gets Told

**Welcome to part 1 of our Christmas Special! "Christmas Special" being code for: I-am-suffering-writer's-block-and-so-to-make-up-for-the-several-lengthy-weeks-ahead-when-I-will-not-be-posting-anything  
-I've-decided-to-post-two-chapters! Also, in the spirit of the Season…it's getting to me! So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, cool kwanza, cooler chet and "a solemn, dignified Ramadan". Yes, I know Ramadan was a month ago (my friend was fasting) but nonetheless… **

**Jack Gets Told**

'I dunno what you're thinking, but I'm not taking these back to the Settlement.'

Tara felt her blood boil, but for family's sake, she bit back her angry retort and spoke in a calmer voice. 'I'm just trying to help you clean up this mess.'

Jack didn't seem to recognise that this as a calm tone and snapped back, 'There's nothing to clean up! There's no mess!'

'Don't you get it?' Tara said, softening her tone again as her father was still in a weak state. 'It's supposed to be summer, look at the weather! Time is running slow! A normal compass doesn't even point North anymore! This isn't meant to be happening!'

'I don't need some skinny, little brat, telling me what is or is not meant to be!'

Tara stared at him, taken aback. _Is that what he thinks of me after everything that's happened?_ 'Fine!' She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, biting her lower lip in anger.

Jack watched her leave and fell back in a nearby chair, nursing his temples.

'Don't you think that was a little harsh?' muttered Bill, not accustomed to such scenes.

Liz propped herself up on the table and patted Jack's back. He looked up at her curiously.

'When did you start giving me sympathy?' he asked staring at her.

Liz sighed. 'When I finally realised that you were really…sort of like…my Uncle…' She gave a dramatic little shudder.

Will let out a soft 'Hmph!' of laughter and slid into a chair across the table.

'I don't understand, Jack,' muttered Bill, shaking his head in confusion, 'you've everything. You have your own ship, known and awed all around the world. You've got a crew somewhere that was willing to risk everything to help you. You've got a crew _out there_ who admire you and will listen to every word you'll say. You've got a beautiful daughter who loves you to pieces. And you've got us…'

'Who also love you to pieces,' Liz finished, absentmindedly as she was busily studying the beads in Jack's hair.

Jack made a face, obviously not accustomed to such an expression of affection. 'Pardon?' he asked, pulling his hair from her grasp.

Liz rolled her eyes. 'Oh, don't pretend you have not noticed…' she said briskly, glancing at Will who seem to have already broken a rib or two from trying not to laugh.

Jack looked nothing short of horrified. 'I'm now…to go…have…' Without correcting himself, he stood and strode out of the room as Tara had done.

'Bye Uncle Jack!' Liz grinned at the remaining occupants. The three burst out laughing.

xXx

Tara lay on the bed in the tiny room she'd claimed as her own on her last visit. She was happy to see that no one had been inside (which would half accounted for the centimetre of dust) as she'd left her weapons cache beneath the bed and it hadn't been tampered with. Elizabeth had placed her bag in the corner earlier that day, but she hadn't unpacked anything in case her visit would be a short one.

As she lay staring at the ceiling and blaming herself for Jack's outburst, something suddenly hit her.

_Wait a sec,_ she thought, _when did _I_ provoke him to do _anything_ like that!_

It wasn't her fault he had unresolved issues…

She blinked as a loud knock came from the door. She didn't need to be a genius to work out who this was… A moment later, the door opened and she heard her father walk in. There was silence as he shut it again.

'Hey, luv.'

She said nothing, wondering whether or not to snap at him.

The mattress sank slightly as he sat down on it. 'You're mad, right?'

_Gee, ya think?_

'Yeah, well you don't have to say anything. So, just listen-,'

Suddenly Tara sat up and glared at him. 'Actually, you know what? No. I think it's about time _you_ listened.'

Jack stared at her in surprise.

Tara ignored this and continued. 'I am so _sick_ and tired of these mood swings you've got going! It's like one minute you're great and we're fine and the next, you're changed into some sort of…of…' she faltered, unable to find the right words. Then she said, 'I may not know much about him, it's almost like you're changed into Barbossa…'

Jack's mouth fell open. 'I don't-,'

'I'm not finished!' Tara snapped. 'I don't know whether or not you want me here, that's your problem and you have to deal with it, coz I'm not doing it for you anymore. But I am going to the Settlement whether or not you get me there and I _am_ finding the crew whether or not you help!'

She stopped and waited for him to reply. Several seconds passed and suddenly, Tara felt a growing sense of dread.

He's gonna kick me off for sure now… 

Jack stared at her, astonished. 'Why're you always the one who leaves me lost for words…?' he asked after several more seconds.

Tara rolled her eyes. 'These people, who attacked you here, they will not stop searching for you. Not until the keys are back together. If they do find you, then it will be a repeat of what's already happened.' She glanced at his shirt where the bandages covering his chest were still visible. 'I found you at the Helm when the _Pearl_ sailed into the Port.'

Jack was suddenly very taken aback. No one had told him that.

'I saw you at your weakest, and I thought you were dead,' Tara said, softer now, avoiding his gaze for the first time, 'I don't want to see that again, so whatever your issues are,' she looked him in the eye again, 'deal with it.'

xXx

The small crew lazed leisurely on deck, having not heard from the Captain since he'd gone below deck ten minutes earlier. Julian didn't care where they were told to go next. The fact that he was _on_ this ship was good enough and he was happy enough. But their rest was up as Captain Sparrow returned to the decks. He looked around at them all for a split second, as though sizing them up, then:

'Prepare to sail!'

Bill, Will and Liz came out of the Captain's Quarters a moment later, as Jack was already making his way to the Helm.

'Where are we going?' Liz asked.

Jack hesitated before replying. 'It seems we're paying a visit to the Temple.'

_**Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la la la, la la la la!**_


	13. The Temple

**Part Two of our "Christmas Special"! Enjoy your holidays, and keep safe!**

**The Temple**

'What did you say to him?'

Tara looked curiously up at her cousin from her bed on which she still lay.

'Say to whom?' she asked, knowing full well the answer.

Liz closed the door and walked into the room. She was holding a moist cloth in her hand. 'Jack? He is turning the ship to your Settlement.'

Tara grinned, pleased to hear this information. 'Good to see he got the message.'

Liz started busily dusting the surfaces in the room with the cloth.

'What's wrong, Lizzy?' asked Tara, propping herself on her elbows.

Liz looked at her. 'What makes you think something is wrong?' she said with a laugh.

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'Because you're cleaning.'

'So?'

'You don't clean.'

'Well, someone has to do it as Anna-Maria isn't around.'

'Do you _really_ think she cleaned when she was around?'

Liz didn't answer but moved onto the small shelf on the wall.

xXx

It was late on the third night of sailing from Isla de Muerta when they finally saw the high mountains of Hispaniola. Jack tensed immediately. The closer they got to the Settlement, the more vulnerable they were to attack.

Tara stood calmly on deck, leaning on the rails of the Main Deck, she leaned forward slightly, peering at the mountainous forms in the darkness. A light glowed here and there.

'We'll be arriving in about half an hour,' said a voice behind her.

She turned to see Bill studying her carefully. 'And?'

'I hope you know what you're doing.' He turned to help Julian.

Tara sighed and started back below deck and to her room. There, she rummaged through her bag. She'd been expecting them to return to the Settlement and had packed he necessities, those being the formal dress for the Temple. It was frowned upon to do otherwise if you had trained there as she had done.

She pulled out the silk, red robe, with long, wide sleeves and pulled it on. It took several minutes to get the two sashes together. The first fit beneath her armpits and to her knees, the second around her waist. She tied her black and gold belt around her waist as a form of recognition. Not many people had these. On the back of the first sash was her symbol. A phoenix, embroidered in fine, gold thread. She started out of the room, but paused. She turned back and slid the box of weapons toward her. She opened it carefully and reached for a small, silver dagger, slipping carefully into the sashes where it was virtually invisible.

A knock came on her door. She jumped up, tapped the lid of the box shut with her foot and kicked it lightly back beneath the bed.

'Come in!'

Jack opened the door slowly. 'Luv, c'mon, we're dockin',' He caught sight of her, '…ah…'

Tara felt suddenly embarrassed. 'Er, how do I look?'

Jack stared at her; suddenly aware of how much she looked like her mother. He struggled to hide his swallow. 'Great, luv…'

Tara peered at him suspiciously, but allowed him to lead her to the decks. They arrived as the gangplank was lowered onto the dark dock. A single red lantern glowed at the end of it, beyond it, in the light two others, stood a wall, two story's high with the gates guarded by pictures and sculptures of fierce-looking dragons.

'Wow, Tara, why so dressed?' asked Liz, raising an eyebrow at her cousin playfully.

'Someone we don't know about?' said Will in the same tone.

'Ha, ha,' Tara said dryly, 'get your head out of the gutter and back in the sewers with the rest of us! Actually, it's considered an act of dishonour if you enter the sacred grounds and you aren't wearing the robe and sashes. They're said to protect your body from invading spirits of evil. I doubt they work, but you know, keeping up appearances'

Bill looked slightly amused. 'We don't have robes.'

Tara started off the ship, gathering the flowing robe in her hands. 'You aren't susceptible because you haven't been initiated.'

They followed her to the end of the dock, the crew staying on the _Pearl_ under Jack's orders.

'How d'you know we 'aven't been initiated?' asked Jack as they approached the gates.

'Trust me, I'd know if you had…'

'How would you know?'

'You'd be dark, cold, and crazy.'

'Well then you have,' muttered Jack under his breath, though not literally meaning anything by it.

Tara strolled to the side, halting around the lantern. A moment later, she found it, a thick rope, almost invisible in the darkness. She wrapped her hand around it and yanked down as hard as she could.

Liz jumped as a deafening gong came from above. Looking up, she saw the wall had a small, tower-like structure on top, where a bell hung.

'Mind warnin' us when you do that, luv?' said Jack rubbing his ear.

Tara glanced at them guiltily. 'Sorry…brace yourselves…' She pulled the rope again and returned to her position before the gates.

'Now what?' asked Will in a hushed voice.

'Who goes there!'

They looked up to see a dark figure, silhouetted by the light of another red lantern.

'The Phoenix of the Shield!' Tara called back. The figure was motionless for a split second, then suddenly disappeared. A moment later, there was a grinding sound as a door concealed in the high gate opened and a boy of Tara's age stepped out.

Even from the quivering light, his appearance was visible. He had Mediterranean features, porcelain skin, dark hair and very out-of-place, piercing green eyes. He wore a male robe of black and grey, his sash of red and belt of brown.

'The Phoenix of the Shield?' he asked sceptically, his eyes searched the group. 'Tara?'

Tara frowned at him, he knew as well as she did that their names mustn't be spoken. 'Careful now, Dao…'

He blinked several times and suddenly straightened up. 'My apologies, my lady, you've not been heard of since leaving here…many believed you passed on to the afterlife…please, come in…'

Tara stepped past him, Jack, Bill, Will and Liz followed. Once they were all inside the grounds, Dao closed the door and turned to them.

'You've arrived late, Phoenix?'

'An urgent matter concerning the Master.'

'The Master is celebrating. Everyone is in the Temple.'

'Celebrating?'

'The War is over.' Dao suddenly noticed the others. 'Captain Sparrow?' His eyes narrowed. 'You return?'

Jack rolled his eyes. 'Obviously.'

Dao looked at the others. 'And you are?'

'Will Turner,' said Will stepping forward to shake Dao's hand.

'Bill Turner,' said Bill, doing the same.

'Elizabeth Turner.' Dao took her hand and bowed.

Tara rolled her eyes as he straightened up. 'Temple, now!'

Dao peered at her curiously, but nevertheless started leading them down a path. As they passed the thick row of trees, the Temple came into clear view. A towering structure, five storey's high, four hundred metres wide with a set of stairs leading to the front entrance. Many smaller buildings surrounded it (large actually, but smaller compared to the Temple).

'Housing for the settlers,' Tara explained at the confused look on Liz's face, 'and classrooms…and barns…'

Liz, Will and Bill walked quietly, looking around in awe. Jack looked simply bored.

'There were floods last month; Master Jin said to move the horses to higher ground. He feared they'd drown in the barn. They've locked it now, they say it's falling apart…' Dao trailed off.

'Dao, what makes you think I would _want_ to know that?'

'You are impatient, Phoenix?' asked Dao in undertone.

'I am uneasy, I was brought here by grave tidings,' Tara replied, quietly, making sure her voice didn't carry to those behind them.

'Looks like we've all received grave tidings, then,' murmured Dao, in an all-knowing voice, 'there is a conflict of balance. I believe that is why you are here, are you not?'

Tara watched him from the corner of her eye, but he kept his gaze fixed on the Temple.

'What do you know of the Balance?' she hissed savagely, his tone was making her more and more agitated. 'Nothing! It is not up to you to know such things!'

'You're arguin' in whispers?' said Jack from behind. 'I don' like it!'

'Sorry!' they replied in unison and started climbing the stone steps.

**Just don't forget to keep up those reviews! Seasons greetings!**


	14. YOU Came With The Captain

Okay, I'm a little low on ideas, I haven't written anything for a while, and I'm going to Newcastle (which is all the way across the other side of the country) on the 17th, so here's an extra long chapter (two in one), for your enjoyment with my apologies… You came with the Captain 

'Phoenix!'

The name resounded through the Main room as Tara, Dao, Jack and the others entered the Temple. People turned, some on their toes to get a better view.

'You return, my child?'

Tara jumped slightly as Master Jin stepped out of the crowd, looking as regal as ever. She put her hands together and bowed, he bowed back.

Will watched with interest. The man didn't look at all like he'd pictured. Will had imagined him to be an elderly man, possibly with a long white beard, small eyes and pale skin. On the contrary, he seemed surprisingly young. He had short blondish-brown hair and a brown goatee. His eyes were, in short, gold. He had a muscular upper body obviously earned from years of training. Like Dao, he wore the male robe, although his were black and gold, a black cloak draped around his shoulders. However, despite the warm expression he wore on his face, Will couldn't help the feeling of mistrust. He was deeply suspicious of Tara's master.

'I don't know about _your_ child, Master,' Tara said softly as she straightened up and the occupants of the room proceeded to celebrate.

Jin smiled and looked at the others curiously.

'My friends, Bill Turner,' Tara started the introductions (Bill inclined his head in greeting), 'his son Will,' (Will smiled and shook Jin's hand), 'my cousin and Will's wife, Elizabeth,' (Liz gave as small curtsey and Jin bowed) 'and of course…'

'Captain Jack Sparrow,' finished Jin, 'we've met of course.'

An odd look flickered on Jin's face, but Tara was sure she'd imagined it.

'I take it you received my message?' said Jin. 'I wasn't expecting you. How did you find Captain Sparrow so fast?'

'Actually, he was coming to visit.'

'Visit?'

Tara frowned. 'You don't know?' She looked sharply at Jack. 'He doesn't know?'

Jack looked guiltily back at her. 'Well, I may have neglected t' mention…certain aspects…of our…affiliation…'

'Affiliation?' asked Jin suspiciously.

'You didn't tell them…?' said Tara slowly.

'Tell us what?' asked Jin, now bewildered.

'_Jack_,' started Tara, stressing his name, 'just so happens to be my _father_.'

Jin stared between them. 'I see…'

Bill frowned. "_I see"? Is that it?_

'In regards to your message-,' Tara started.

Jin suddenly smiled. 'All in good time, if you'll excuse me there are duties I must attend to. We'll speak in the morning, I'm sure you're tired. Stay for the celebrations then we'll accommodate you in a guest house.' He walked away without another word.

Tara watched him leave in confusion. 'Ah, well that went…well…didn't it?' she said bitterly.

'He's probably just preoccupied with the celebrations,' suggested Bill.

'Probably…' Tara echoed.

'Phoenix!' Before she realised it, Tara was grabbed by the arm and dragged towards a group of giggling girls. She saw her father being taken to a group in one direction and Will and Liz in the other. Bill had been surrounded by a group of curious onlookers.

'_You_ came with the Captain.'

It took Tara several seconds to realise who she'd been dragged to. The group of girls were probably the dumbest she'd ever met, they of course were not being trained the Arts, and did not know Tara had learnt them. Sun, Lyn, Bo Li and Jayam. They were watching the group surrounding Jack with great interest.

Tara raised an eyebrow at Lyn, who had spoken. 'So I did.'

'Can you introduce me?' Lyn asked suddenly excited.

Tara frowned. These girls had never been particularly nice to her, mostly because Jin favoured her somewhat. 'Why?'

'Because he's _handsome_,' breathed Sun, waving her paper fan before her.

'Oh,' said Tara glancing at her father, she couldn't help a small feeling of satisfaction, 'I suppose he is, isn't he?'

'Ooooh!' squealed Jayam. 'I _knew _it!'

'Knew what?'

'That you came with him!'

'I just told you that…'

'No, I mean _with_ him!'

Tara stared at her for several seconds, completely confused, then it hit her. 'What you mean…no, not _with_ him, with him! I can't have come _with _him! That'd be…eek…that'd be…really weird…I mean…'

'Oh, good then!' said Bo Li. 'You can arrange me to meet him in the gardens!'

Tara felt suddenly nausous. 'Eww, no…noooo…Hell no! That's just…eww! Gross! Stay away! He's my Dad!'

The girl's mouths fell open; Tara gave a final disgusted shudder and walked outside, to the gardens behind the Temple.

She wandered past the small pond to the even smaller brook that flowed into it. She walked onto the bridge and sat down on the stone bench at the side, looking up at the cloudy sky. The red lanterns on either end of the bridge glowed and swayed eerily in the light wind.

'Phoenix?'

Tara jumped at Dao's voice. He had suddenly appeared at the opposite end, out of the gloom.

'Dao, you scared me, what were you doing in the forest?' she said.

He stepped onto the bridge and walked up to the bench, leaning his elbows on the rails behind him. 'It's more of a jungle really…just walking…thinking…What's on your mind?'

Tara looked up at him. He had an uncanny ability to know what people were thinking.

'Something's not right,' she confessed. 'I need to speak to Mistress May.'

Mistress May was Master Jin's wife and usually helped him with the many duties around the Settlement.

Dao looked at her in surprise. 'Tara, she's been missing for almost a fortnight.'

Tara stared at him, suddenly not interested in which name he used. 'What?'

'She went missing only about two days after your father left.'

Tara thought hard. 'That would have been only a few days before the crew…how did you know he was my father?'

Dao shrugged. 'You seem close enough.' He sat down on the stone bench next to her. 'Tara, may I confess something to you?'

She peered at him through the faltering light. 'Of course.'

'I believe Master Jin has been corrupted.'

Tara's mouth fell open. 'By who?'

Dao shook his head. For the first time that night, Tara could feel his sadness.

'Tara, we are not fools, we know of the Keys. Jin believes your father stole three of them.'

Tara was suddenly standing. 'What! No! May gave them to him, she told him to keep them safe!'

Dao also stood. 'Keep them safe from Jin. She didn't tell him what she'd asked of your father because she _knew_ he was after them. _He's_ behind her disappearance!'

'Where was Jin when she disappeared?'

Dao didn't answer.

'Where was he?'

'He'd gone sailing…but he could have easily sent one of his servants!'

'He didn't send his servants anywhere. _May is his wife!_'

'Tara! Open your eyes!' Dao snapped. 'He goes sailing, and your father's crew goes missing! His wife disappears and he couldn't care less!'

Tara glared at him for a moment then turned away and looked down at the pond. Dao stepped up beside her and held something in front of her face. She looked down at it.

'I took it,' he said softly. It was the fourth Key, a shiny blue arrow, the water element. 'Do what you want with it, just make sure it's the right thing…'

He shoved the arrow into her hand and walked back to the Temple. She stared at the blue gold in her hand for a moment, wondering what to do. She shook her head to clear it, but it didn't work. She strode off the bridge and instead of starting for the Temple, she turned in the direction of the front gates. She stayed out of sight, going the long way, behind the dormitories and classrooms.

The only light came from the red lanterns, strung up in the trees. Everyone was at the Temple, celebrating.

Suddenly she stopped. Voices sounded on her right. She realised where she was. Beyond the trees was the old barn. Dao's words came back to her.

"_Master Jin said to move the horses to higher ground…"_

_Why would anyone be there now?_ She thought.

The voices were coming nearer; she looked around, reached up and hoisted herself onto a tree branch above her head. She'd just gathered her robes when two men appeared below.

'Master won't be happy,' said one, 'not until they talk.'

'They'll break soon enough, it has only been a week and a half,' said the other.

They disappeared into the dimness. Once she was sure they were gone, she jumped down to a crouch. Her mind was racing. What could they possibly mean, _"They'll break soon enough"_?

Tara started through the trees, her heart racing. She arrived at the barn dread pulsing through her veins. The door was chained shut. She pulled the silver dagger from her sashes and picked the lock, then, with a final glance around, she slid open the doors. There was a single candle glowing inside.

She blinked furiously to focus and stepped inside. There was a horrible stench there, almost like burnt or rotting flesh. A split second she realised why, in a stable nearest to her right laid two bodies she couldn't identify, and didn't want to.

She struggled not to gag, raising her hands to her face. 'Oh, God…'

'Now what ye slimy mongrels!' said a hoarse voice from the end of the long barn.

Tara blinked. She knew that voice. 'Gibbs?'

'Tara?'

Suddenly she recognised outlines of people. They'd been chained to the walls, some of them barely able to stand.

'Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!' said Anna-Maria's voice lightly from a stable on her left.

'What happened!' Tara cried in horror.

'I told you,' said a voice softly behind her. She spun around. Dao was walking toward her looking around the barn a worried expression on his face.

'Dao?' she said shakily.

'What're ye doin' here girlie!' said Marty's squeaky voice.

'If you knew about this-,' started Tara, ignoring him as her attention was entirely focused on her fast approaching friend.

'There was nothing I could do! May was they only one who believed me, and now she's gone! No one else would! You didn't!' hissed Dao furiously. 'And that's cost you the lives of two of your friends!'

'Mind freeing us before it costs us any more?' said another crewmember's voice, John, one of the swabbys.

Dao pushed past Tara and started for the stables, freeing Anna-Maria with quick precision.

'Thanks,' she said, rubbing her wrists, 'where's the Captain?'

Tara's heart seemed to stop; Dao paused in picking Marty's lock. He looked at her then motioned to the far wall.

'Go, you don't have much time,' he said. She looked to where he'd motioned. An array of weapons lay in an open box. She strode forward and lifted a long sword from the top and unsheathed it. She turned to leave.

'Tara!'

She turned back to Dao.

He looked her in the eye. 'Don't think about it.'

Tara shook her head. 'Not once.'

xXx

'So you have your own ship, Captain?'

Jack struggled not to cringe as the girls around him batted their eyelashes. The four teenagers had cornered him, Bill and Will, all the while, Liz stood nearby watching the scene in amusement.

'Of course he has his own ship,' said Bill blankly, 'you've seen it.'

'Oh, yes,' said Sun, playing with her hair, 'how silly of me…'

Meanwhile, Tara had stepped back into the large Hall and had spotted Jin by a door, which led to depths of the Temple. The two men who she'd seen in the Gardens were speaking to him. She knew her time was short. A moment later she spotted Jack and the others in the far corner.

'You're a Blacksmith! How charming!' squealed Bo Li.

'Are you still here?' said Tara, softly approaching the group. Bill threw her a look that obviously said, "Help us!"

Jayam gave her a dirty look. 'Shouldn't we be asking _you_ that? You've already run away once!'

Tara rolled her eyes. 'This is getting old, now if you _don't_ mind…'

With a final glare they strode past her leaving the five alone.

'Thank you, thank you, _thank you_,' hissed Bill, 'I thought there were about to maul-,'

'We have to go,' Tara interrupted.

'We have not even spoken to your Master yet,' protested Liz.

'It doesn't matter, the point is we have to go _now_ and quietly,' Tara muttered, looking over her shoulder.

'But the Keys-,' started Will.

'No-, forget about the Keys! We have to go!'

'Weren' you the one urgin' us t' come here?' Jack pressed.

Tara noticed Jin had suddenly disappeared through the door he'd been standing near. 'Get to the Gates, if I'm not there in half an hour…well…just keep to the Code…'

She turned and hurried after Jin.

Jack looked at Will blankly.

xXx

Tara stepped through the entrance and closed the door. The only light here came from the windows on her right. She started forward cautiously glancing behind her every so often, straining her ears to hear over the distant sounds of the crowd for anything out-of-the-ordinary.

There was a maze of Halls and corridors, but she knew her way around. In her mind, there was only one place she needed to go, the Safe, the only room in the Temple with the necessities to protect something; or someone, from harm wishers.

She turned into a corridor on her left and paused, a door was open, a light was glowing inside. She unsheathed the sword and stepped forward. The next second, there was a considerable amount of pain in the back of her head and she passed out.

**Da, na, da da, da da, da da, doo doo doo, dee dee dee dee, da da da! (The Entertainer, I tried to learn how to play it...) Cya on Tuesday Kat!**


	15. True Colours

** Okay, I know I haven't updated in a while, but that's coz everything's been pretty hectic. I came back from Newcastle on Saturday (I found Nemo in Sydney!) and I just started year 11 today, and I'm all stressed out and depressed coz my friends are all in their little groups and I feel ever so left out... and nobody cares... If you're a shrink, HELP ME!**

**Anyhoo, here ya go!**

True Colours

Tara came to. Her head hurt terribly. She blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the light. She suddenly realised she'd been tied to a chair. It mustn't have been very long since she'd been knocked out. At least ten minutes, there was still time…

A sound to her right knocked her back to her senses.

'So, the Pirate Princess awakens…'

She turned her head slightly to see Jin standing beside her, his expression cold and hard. She didn't reply. He turned away from her, toward a large stone basin, blazing and shimmering with fire.

'You're all alike,' he rambled, 'Sparrow robbed me of three, and now he's sent you for the other four…but one went missing…May paid for that though, she paid for that…'

Tara's heart was starting to pound. 'Robbed you? Jin, we're trying to _save_ you, before anyone else dies, before you do anything else. This-this…_obsession_ for power has taken you too far…'

'Power? My obsession lies not with power,' Jin rumbled manically, 'it lies with _control_.'

'Power is_ about _what you can control,' hissed Tara, now angry. She paused. 'You really have been corrupted…'

'They'll all pay,' he muttered, as though she hadn't spoken. Then he turned to her. What he held in his hand made her blood run cold. 'Starting with you…'

He raised the red, hot, steel "P"…

xXx

'I still don't understand why she's so hell bent on us leaving,' said Bill as he Will, Liz and Jack walked down the path to the gates, 'we just got here.'

Jack didn't say anything, he was thinking hard. Something was off. Something was very off.

'This place must bring about some terrible memories,' Liz murmured softly, 'about China…'

Will shook his head. 'There's something unsettling about this place, something…'

'Off?' finished Jack.

xXx

Tara gasped in pain as Jin started untying her.

'You're going to help me, I cannot touch the Keys, I'm forbidden to, but you're not, you can…'

He dragged her to her feet and pulled out a long, curved knife. He pushed her roughly down the corridor. She realised she was right, it was in the Safe…

The door flew open and Jin shoved her forward. It was a tiny room with a single object inside. On a waist-high podium, stood a large, dark chest. Tara knew there was nothing she could do. No one could hear her, and even if they did, she'd be dead before they came.

'Pick it up,' Jin commanded, his voice suddenly deathly calm.

Tara stepped forward and lifted the chest off the podium. It was surprisingly heavy and very cold.

'Now, turn around slowly,' Jin said.

She heard the sound of a gun being cocked. He'd put away the knife… She stepped to the side, spun around and hit him across the face with the chest.

He staggered back and by the time he realised what she'd done, she was out the door and down the corridor. She turned right and stopped short, the room where she'd been tied up was ablaze. The basin had overturned when he had dragged her out of the room and the fire was spreading rapidly. She leapt behind a column as Jin came around the corner.

'Phoenix, don't hide,' he sang, 'you mustn't hide…'

Tara pulled open the heavy chest. Inside was a pile of dark sand, she fished through it and drew out the three cold arrowheads. She stuffed them hurriedly into the pockets of her three-quarters beneath her robes and shut the lid again.

'Come out, come out Phoenix…'

A column before her toppled in cinders, she cried out in shock and Jin moved around the column and grabbed her right arm. She struggled feebly as he pried the chest from her grip.

'You don't deserve to live,' Jin hissed, fire leaping behind him. He hit her hard across the face and she fell to the ground.

Tara blinked stars from her eyes and, with a great effort, rose to her feet a moment later. She looked around, her eyes burning, but couldn't see anything through the smoke. She leapt back as a ceiling beam fell before her. Coughing she turned and started running for the nearest window. She jumped from the first one she found, landing heavily on the ground below. Still coughing, she spun around, searching for Jin. He was nowhere in sight, but she knew where he was going: the private docks at the other end of the island.

She started running, past the gardens and the trees. She'd only gotten about fifty metres from the Temple when all hell broke loose. The Temple behind her exploded, the massive shockwaves sent her flying forward. She passed out before she landed…

xXx

'How long's it been?'

'How should I know!'

'Five minutes since you asked her last time…'

Jack rolled his eyes and leaned back on the Gates, Liz rested her head on Will's shoulder while Bill kicked the ground with his foot.

Will stifled a yawn. 'You're very different, you know.'

Jack looked up at him curiously. 'Who?'

'You,' said Will, 'from when we first met I mean.'

'How so?'

'You're just not the same Captain…' Will muttered.

'You can say that again,' said a voice from the trees to the right. They jumped as a large group of people appeared from the forest.

'Gibbs?' asked Bill, straightening up and striding forward.

'Where'd you come from?' said Jack addressing the crew, slightly alarmed.

'The Torture Barn,' snapped a crewmember, leaning back on a tree.

'Huh?' said Liz, lost for words as she stepped forward to help Anna-Maria.

'It was Jin,' said Dao, emerging from the trees. 'We must leave immediately.'

'We're goin' when Tara gets back,' Jack muttered, staring at Cotton. He was surprised to see he still had his parrot.

Dao looked up slowly. 'You mean she is not back yet?'

Jack shook his head. 'She's at the Temple.' The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a thundering explosion rocked the earth beneath their feet. Several people fell to the ground, like dominoes.

Dao stared at the cloud of smoke rising from the central settlement area. 'You mean she _was_ at the Temple…'

**Review, please? Cheer me up if you feel like it... : ( **


	16. In the Midst of It All

**Disclaimer: DON'T SUE!**

**I'M SORRRYYYYY! Oops, caps lock, but really I am. I haven't updated in a while but that's coz of all that homework! And I only managed to start typing again on Friday coz I didn't study… Does anyone know anything about racism in Australia? Well if you do help me out, I have to plan an essay…**

**Here ya go, super-long chapter…**

**In the Midst of it All**

Next morning, Elizabeth stood alone in hers and Will's room aboard the _Pearl_. She studied herself in the dirty, cracked mirror as the sun rose over the horizon outside the tiny window. She had come to the conclusion the she really did look different. This was mostly due to the fact the she wasn't wearing a fine dress and hadn't had a proper bath in almost a week. She jumped slightly as her husband's voice came from the doorway.

'I think you look beautiful.'

Liz smiled as Will crossed the room, stepped behind her and wrapped her in a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder and studying their reflection in the mirror.

'When this is all over,' Will said softly, 'we're all going on a _long_ holiday.'

Liz grinned. 'To an island, with the family?'

Will nodded. 'With Tara, and Father, and Jack…and we'll…lie on the beach drinking from coconuts!'

Liz laughed. 'With a beachside cabin, where we can sit and watch the sunset without worrying about whether it'll be our last…'

Will watched the reflections silently for a moment. 'It's not our last…not until we're both old and grey and our grandchildren have heard all our stories.'

'_All_ our stories?'

'Well, the good ones anyway.'

xXx

Jack sat silently on the stairs to the Helm, gazing at his beloved horizon. Anna-Maria had finally convinced him to get out of the confines of his daughters room and onto the deck to get some air. He'd been there for little more than an hour, watching the bright sun move across the sky. His mind ran through the scenario of the previous night over and over again. He, Bill, Will, and Dao had returned to the Temple after the explosion. It had blown the foundations from the ground and demolished the surrounding buildings and trees. Body parts lay here and there, Jin knew how to inflict maximum damage to the settlement. They'd found Tara after almost an hour of searching, lying in a small ring of water, which they'd found very confusing, and unfortunately Tara hadn't regained consciousness to give them any information.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It had been a long year and Will was right, he _was _different.

'Jack?'

He looked down at Bill at the foot of the stairs. Bill was peering at him, a worried look on his face.

'Are you alright?'

Jack grinned. 'You asked me that once, and I actually said no. Remember?'

Bill laughed and stepped up the stairs, sitting down next to him. 'Yeah, I remember. That was after you returned to England.'

'While back…'

'Sixteen years…' Bill trailed off. 'Did you know Tara's birthday is next month?'

Jack looked at him in alarm. 'That's in a few days!'

Bill grinned. 'Seventeen…She's short for a seventeen year old…'

'Shut up.'

'I'm just stating fact!'

Jack grinned and looked back at the horizon. A moment later his grin faded and the momentary happiness was diminished. He saw Dao coming up the stairs from the Galley. Dao looked around and started toward the two men on the stairs.

'I assume Tara is not awake yet?' he said upon approaching them.

'Nope,' Jack replied monotonously.

There was moment's silence, then Dao said, 'Zeke.'

Bill and Jack looked down at him curiously.

'What?' asked Bill.

Dao flushed slightly. 'Well, Phoenix is Tara… Dao is Zeke…formally Ezekiel…'

'Your name?' said Bill.

The newly named Zeke nodded. 'Of the Greek city of Volos.' He flushed again, fearing he'd said too much.

Jack watched the boy, feeling slightly sorry for him. 'Well, then, good to meet you Zeke, formally Ezekiel, of the Greek city of Volos.'

Zeke cleared his throat awkwardly, then turned and hurried down the stairs. Jack and Bill glanced at each other blankly.

xXx

Tara awoke but kept her eyes closed. She heard the sound of shuffling to her left and slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust them to the light. She stared up at the ceiling and realised she was back aboard the _Pearl_, no doubt coming out of another unconscious state.

'This is starting to become a health hazard,' she croaked.

The was a soft 'humph!' of laughter and she heard her cousin say, 'I couldn't agree more.'

Tara started to sit up, bit winced as a sharp pain ran through her abdomen. She slowed and leaned back on the bed head as Liz sat down at the foot of the bed a freshly folded white shirt in her hands.

'Welcome back,' she said calmly, studying her cousin.

'Good to be back,' Tara replied. 'What happened?'

Liz raised an eyebrow. 'You don't remember?'

Tara looked down thoughtfully. 'I remember fighting Jin, and the fire…after he,'- She froze, suddenly remembering. She turned over her right hand slowly, fearing what she'd see, but sure enough, there it was, the dark-red 'P'.

Liz looked sadly at her cousin. 'I'm sorry Tara.'

Tara stared at it then looked up and shrugged carelessly. 'It was bound to happen.'

Liz looked away and Tara swung her legs over the side of the bed and started pulling on her brown, leather boots, she'd bought in Port Royal.

'Are you sure you're up to getting up?' asked Liz.

Tara looked at her cousin with an obvious expression and Liz smiled again. Tara glanced down to see she was still wearing the clothes of last night, with the obvious exception of the robe and sashes, but still with the brown cotton pants and brown and blue shirt. She glanced at the chair at her desk where the robes had been piled.

'I could tell you how hard it was to get those off,' Liz said, grinning.

Tara made a face. 'Please, don't.' She turned away and started rummaging through the dresser. She heard Liz rise from the bed, but make no other move.

'You're a fine woman, you know,' Liz said softly.

Tara looked up curiously but didn't turn around. 'Great.'

'If I have a child, I'd like them to grow up with your values. Maybe a little more open, but…'

'That's nice of you.'

'Though, I should probably say, _when_ I have _the_ child.'

There's was a moments silence before the words got through, then Tara spun around, her hands on the dresser behind her. Liz was positively beaming at the look on her cousin's face.

'Oh, good, lord…'

Liz's smile faded slightly, then Tara broke into a fit of giggles then stepped forward and bent down to her cousin's stomach.

'Hi baby! It's your favourite Aunt Tara!'

Liz laughed and shushed her. 'Quiet down!'

Tara looked up, struggling to keep a straight face. 'You haven't told Will yet!'

Liz shook her head guiltily. 'I don't know how, he's so busy, and I don't want to get his hopes up…'

Tara frowned. 'You don't want to…what do you mean?'

'With everything that's been going on…'

Tara blinked. 'Liz, I am now going to make it my personal job to protect you…and foetus face…'

Liz grimaced. 'Foetus face?'

Tara shrugged. 'Well, it's either that or turnip head…'

xXx

Zeke stood at the foremast silently tying a rope from the lower foresail. His skin prickled and he glanced up at the main deck, alarmed. For a moment, he could have sworn that someone had been watching him, but he dismissed the feeling as paranoia.

'Need a hand boy?'

Zeke jumped at the sound of the Captain's voice and turned to face the man on his left. Jack raised an eyebrow curiously as the boy stared at him then stepped aside.

'Not too focused t'day, are ya?' Jack said, trying to make conversation while working on the knots.

Zeke's eyes followed the inner jib as it billowed slightly in the wind as the sun set beyond it. He suddenly released a frustrated groan. 'I can't stop thinking about her!'

Jack cringed. 'Oh, here we go,' he muttered, 'you're gonna open up to me now aren't you?'

Zeke threw him a dirty look.

'So, who is it?' Jack continued. 'Elizabeth?'

Zeke shook his head vigorously, avoiding Jack's eye.

'Anna-Maria?'

Another shake.

'Jillian?' Jillian was the blonde from Tortuga that Bill had brought aboard as part of the new crew.

Again the answer was no.

'Nancy?' She was the redhead.

Zeke lowered his face a bit. 'No.'

'Is it…what's-her-name…Patricia?' She was the third woman in the new crew. She had strawberry-blonde hair and a scar on the side of her face. Now Jack could almost feel the embarrassment radiating off Zeke as he shook his head.

He frowned staring at him. 'Well that only leaves…'

At this point, Zeke looked up guiltily, his face red. 'You're obviously not the right person to talk to...'

Jack got such a shock that he suddenly pulled the knot tight on his finger, winced, pulled it out and gave himself severe rope burn. He stared at the boy, who was looking anywhere but at him. Then, from above-

'Miss Sparrow! Top of the morning to ye! Although, I'm afraid to say it's not morning…'called Matthew, the lookout.

Tara had ascended the stairs and was standing on the Main Deck looking up at the Crows Nest of the Main Mast. She smiled and replied, 'Nevertheless, it's a good one Matt…whatever time of day it is!' Then she looked back down and caught Bill's eye as he lowered himself from one of the booms. 'What time of day _is_ it?' she asked uncertainly.

Meanwhile, Jack threw Zeke a sideways glance. He was completely immobilised.

Tara suddenly spotted them and started forward. 'Hi daddy!' she cheered happily, but at that moment, Liz reached the top of the stairs.

'Tara! Come back here!'

Tara sighed. 'Bye daddy…'

A moment later the two of them had disappeared below again and Jack looked at Zeke who looked crestfallen.

'See?' he mumbled and turned away. 'She doesn't even know I exist…'

Jack couldn't help but feel sorry the boy.

xXx

Tara spent the rest of the short day helping out aboard the ship. Though it was true she still had a lot of aches and pains from her little fall the night before, they were smothered under the cloaking of a natural high induced the sudden news of her cousin's pregnancy. There was also another reason, something that had been nagging her in the back of her mind since she awoke, but something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't bother trying to work it out as she slid down from the Mizzen Topsail and the sun disappeared below the horizon.

'Calm down Tara,' Bill said from behind her as she landed.

She raised an eyebrow. 'Are _you_ giving _me_ advice?'

Bill grinned. 'Absolutely, feel free to return it at any time.'

Tara stared at him for a moment, wondering what advice to give. 'Alrighty, here's some advice, no matter where you go in life, always keep an eye out for the water spout coming up behind you…'

Bill's eyes went wide and he spun around. Though there was no waterspout coming up behind him, there was one quite a way out to the South- East and travelling that way. He rolled his eyes as Tara started giggling behind him.

'Made you look!'

Bill looked back at her. 'Oh, hilarious…' he said dryly. She stopped laughing, but the notion didn't leave her eyes as they both approached the railings watching the storm move away.

'They're rather common here,' murmured Bill calmly.

Tara shrugged. 'Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it…' She turned and hurried back down the stairs to waste some more of her pent-up energy as Bill stared after her, grinning at her last comment.

Meanwhile, at the bow, Zeke sat mentally kicking himself for his blurting out the truth to Jack.

'Look at that!' exclaimed Gibbs from the rails.

Zeke looked up to see a waterspout moving away in the distance. He moved to the railings to get a better view.

'Pretty isn't it?'

Zeke jumped and turned to see Tara approach. His insides squirmed uncomfortably. 'Hello.'

Tara raised an eyebrow at him curiously. Surely she must have heard the awkwardness in his voice.

'What?' he asked trying to avoid her eye.

'Nothing,' she answered, her tone sceptical. She looked back at the waterspout. 'Bill says they're common around these parts.

Zeke nodded. 'Bill's a smart man.'

Tara watched him curiously for another few seconds as he determinedly watched the waterspout disappear.

_What is his problem?_ She thought inquisitively.

'I'm gonna go downstairs now…' she trailed, still confused.

Zeke shrugged and she took to the stairs. As she vanished below decks, Zeke breathed a sigh of relief.

**RASICM IS BAAAAAAAD! Oops, caps lock again, review, and comment if possible…**


	17. From Bad to Worse

**Disclaimer: Hello says the bird**

**Okay, the net keep disconnecting. Thanks so much for all those reviews! Keep 'em comin'! **

**From Bad to Worse**

Late that night, Tara stood silently at the railing, bathed in the glow of light from the nearby lantern. She laid her hands on the smooth wood, watching the surrounding darkness intently. This always gave her an eerie feeling, like the ship was floating; like the darkness itself was suffocating her.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty, sea air. In her mind's eye, she could see the horizon, lit by the glow of the setting sun, easing her breathing and calming her nerves.

'Hey luv.'

Tara's eyes flew open; she turned her head to the right as Jack stepped up beside her.

'Can't sleep?' she asked softly.

He raised an eyebrow. 'How'd you know?'

She grinned at him furtively. 'Coz you're awake.'

He looked back into the darkness, grinning to himself.

For a while, they stood together in a comfortable silence. Tara feeling of unease was settling a little now that she wasn't alone, then Jack increased that feeling tenfold. He leaned over the railing, apparently looking at something on the hull, not far, but enough to make Tara move slightly toward him. He moved forward further, and without thinking, Tara grabbed his forearm.

He looked back at her, alarmed. She flushed red and looked at her feet, feeling humiliated.

'The dark,' she mumbled.

Jack stared at her blankly. 'What?' He looked back out at the nothingness and it hit him. 'Are you…afraid of the dark?'

She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

'You, Tara Jacklyn Sparrow,' Jack said, 'you, who is not afraid of_ anything_, are afraid of the dark?'

She poked him light-heartedly. 'Are you trying to tell me _you're_ not afraid of anything?'

He grinned down at her. 'To put it bluntly, luv, yes.'

'Bull,' she muttered, looking away.

Jack stared at her. 'Watch your tongue.'

She stared up at him in surprise. 'Dad, you're a pirate, you're _supposed_ to swear.'

Jack shrugged. 'I don't.'

'Maybe you don't, coz you're afraid of it…'

'Are you gonna think that if I don't do something now, I'm afraid of it?'

'Yes.'

Jack watched her from the corner of his eye.

'You _must_ be afraid of _something_!' snapped Tara irritably after a while.

He shrugged. 'I _get _afraid, does that count?' He looked around suddenly. 'Don't you go telling that to anyone now…'

Tara shook her head. 'Oh, come on…how about spiders?'

'Used to breed 'em as pets…'

Tara made a face. 'Snakes?'

'To which I fed the spiders…'

Tara grimaced. 'Yew! That's vile! How 'bout…losing the _Pearl_?'

He glared at her with a look that plainly said, "don't even go there".

'Sorry,' she said quickly, 'germs?'

'How is that even possible?'

'It's possible…the slimy, infested little…'

'Give up, luv,' Jack interrupted.

She looked up at him with an air of suspicion. 'I'll find out you know…' She turned and started to the stairs. Jack looked back out at the dark water, which was reflecting the lights on the ship. Suddenly, Tara appeared at his side again.

She grabbed the lantern she'd been standing next to. 'I'm taking this…' She turned again and walked down the stairs after a glance over her shoulder.

Jack grinned.

xXx

Tara resigned herself to her tiny cabin for the rest of the night, long after even Jack had retired. She was still stimulated by the lengthy bout of unconsciousness and did not find herself growing weary until well past three in the morning.

It was still dark as she sat at her small desk reading over map after map searching for she knew not what. She glanced up at the lantern, the light burning her eyes so that she turned away, blinking stars from her eyes. She rose and fell almost instantly on the bed, as it was right by the side of the desk, then she reached out and extinguished the lantern as she closed her eyes and let sleep take her…

Then the dream came.

'_Complete control…' someone was saying. She spun around and suddenly everything came into focus. She stood on the _Pearl_ surrounded by the crew. They had formed a circle around her and right before her stood Jin. He wore a malicious smile, sending a shiver down her spine._

_Instinctively, she took a step back only to watch his smile broaden._

'_Afraid are we?' he asked softly. 'That's only natural when everyone has turned against you.'_

_Tara turned, looking at everyone making up the circle. Her friends, her family, but their eyes, they were hollow. Empty. They lacked emotion, familiarity, character, everything._

_She looked back at Jin. 'What did you do to them?'_

'_I?' he said, looking amused. 'I did nothing, you did this yourself, you should have joined The League when you had the chance, but now you can never be one of us…' He looked back at someone Tara couldn't see. 'You do the honours Captain.'_

_Tara's blood ran cold, it couldn't be._

_But it was, and a moment later, Jack stepped into the circle, his eyes as dark as anyone else's, stripped of their ingenuity and cunning. He raised the gun and cocked it. Tara closed her eyes. She heard the shot._

**Oh, oh, review please!**_  
_


	18. The Keys Reunited

**Disclaimer: Heh heh, DISC.**

**Okay, so I haven't updated in a while, but in my defense I've been strangled by homework. Yes people, the little pieces of paper don't fit in my bag anymore, so they've rammed themselves down my throat, so I can regurgitate them and return them to the teacher with their brothers and sisters…**

**That, and I'm running outa material, coz I've had no time to write (I'm only up to chapter 23!) and my internet keeps dying!**

**The Keys Reunited**

With a shriek, Tara sat bolt upright in her bed. For a split second, the shot echoed in her ears and she held her breath. Realising she'd had nothing more than a terrible nightmare, she starting breathing again, well, gasping really, trying to catch her breath. She felt like she'd run a marathon and was sticky with sweat.

Once her heartbeat had slowed she took a moment to take in her surroundings. The cabin looked the same, save for the washbasin on her desk, signifying that Liz had been in. Tara drew her knees up and rested her head in her arms. She closed her eyes but the nightmare clouded her mind and she could think of nothing else. Looking up, she noticed the room was lit with sunlight, which was streaming through the small porthole above the desk.

She sighed and climbed out of bed, washing up and changing into her blue shirt and wide jeans. She was pulling on her blue boots when she noticed something in the pocket of the three-quarters she'd just been wearing. Her mouth fell open as she realised what it was. The Keys. The Keys she'd taken from the chest in the Temple. She pulled them out, staring in wonder. Now that she had a chance, she could see the red for fire, the white for air and the brown for wood.

She started rummaging through the other pockets and was further surprised to find a fourth Key, blue for water. She suddenly remembered this as the Key Zeke had given her on the bridge and cursed herself for forgetting them.

Putting them in her jeans pockets, she started upstairs, still furious at herself. As she reached the companions way stairs, she realised something was wrong on deck. Jack was barking orders and the crew were running to and fro.

Tara came up on deck and froze. A waterspout had moved alongside the ship and was swaying dangerously. She knew they weren't commonly viewed as violent, but a single one could sink a ship twice the size of the _Pearl_.

She was vaguely aware of someone yelling for her to move as the crushing weight of the spout broke apart, collapsing right on top of her. She raised her hands at the last moment and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the pain of substantial weight of the sea to crush her to a pulp. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes and moved her hands away from her face.

The water was still there. Frozen in midair around her. She seemed to be standing in the centre of an invisible, protective bubble. The spout continued to rotate, Tara could see nothing beyond it, but was grateful to have remained completely dry. She stretched her hand out to touch the swirling seawater and as she did, the water above her parted in two and crashed on the deck.

Immediately, Tara pulled her hand back and as she did, she became painfully aware of the stares she was receiving from the other crewmembers.

'How'd you do that?' asked Matthews.

She was just about to say "I don't know" when she realised she did. From within her pocket, she withdrew the fourth Key, of water.

'I think I know what they do now…'

Jack, who'd been standing at the Main Mast, suddenly realised the immobility aboard. 'Back to work! Clean up this mess!' he snapped. He hated mess.

Tara stuffed the Key back into her pocket and hurried up to him pausing at his side. He looked down at her with annoyance, then turned and started toward the doors of his Quarters. Tara followed him, suddenly feeling like she was seven years old and chasing her father around the marketplace, trying in vain to keep up with his long strides.

As they passed, Will, Bill and Liz followed them and a moment later, they were all standing on the dreariness of the Captain's Quarters as Jack slammed the black box onto the table, crushing a pile of maps in the process.

He didn't open it but rather glared at Tara.

'Let me guess, you forgot?' he suggested through gritted teeth.

Tara watched him, confused at his extreme reaction. But there was the honesty of the fact that she _had_ forgotten that the Keys had been in her pockets all of yesterday. Then again, she had _also _been in a huge explosion, so it was only fair to say there would have been _some_ short-term memory loss.

'Erm…' she said, _honestly_ lost for words. She really, truly hated that word. Honesty wasn't worth much in her opinion; it was just a sure-fire way of getting her in trouble.

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Yeah, you're in trouble.'

Tara's mouth fell open. _Oh my God, he's in my head!_ She thought, inanely.

Jack seemed to be waiting for her to speak.

_Maybe this could work to my advantage…_ Thought Tara, closing her mouth and focusing on her father.

_Let me off the hook…_

For a split second, Tara could have sworn she saw a shadow of a smile pass over Jack's face, and as if to shock her, he said, 'Not yet,' and proceeded to open the chest on the table.

Tara's mouth fell open again.

'What's going on?' hissed Elizabeth's voice in her ear.

But Tara couldn't answer the question, instead replying in a nervous little giggle that always made Jack grin, no matter if anyone could see, which in this case they couldn't.

'What are we missing here?' asked Bill, looking from Tara to Jack and back again.

Jack ignored the question and held the open box to Tara. She pulled the Keys from her pockets and started placing them back in their indent in the velvet. As she reached out to place the last, red of fire, she paused. There was warmth emanating from that Key, one that she recognised as the essence of power, and somewhere, in the very depths of her mind, a tiny voice was saying, _It could make you great, you know…_

She shook her head a placed the Key in box, suddenly fearful of the little voice. Jack snapped the lid shut, but noticed the look on Tara's face, as had the others.

'Tara?' said Will slowly. 'What is it?'

Instinctively, Tara blinked, as if getting adjusted to a bright light after hours of darkness. 'Nothing!' she snapped, a little harder than she'd meant to.

'You hesitated,' Liz stated.

Tara felt a sudden and foreign wave of annoyance at her cousin but pushed it aside. 'The light caught it, it blinded me, that's all.' _Thank God I'm a good liar…_

This seemed to explanation enough and Jack returned the box to a cabinet, which he locked, making Tara, for some strange reason, flare with anger and frustration. Again, she pushed the feeling aside.

'Tell the crew to turn us around,' Jack instructed, 'we'll take the Keys back to Isla de Muerta.'

Will, Bill and Elizabeth went back out on the deck, leaving Tara and Jack alone in the room, something Tara could recall as having happened once in the past. Jack turned back to her.

'What're you doing up so early? Waiting for mail?' he asked.

Tara frowned without meaning to. He'd meant it sarcastically, as usual, but her temper was suddenly tied with a shorter fuse.

Jack noticed.

'What's wrong with you today, luv?' There was a tone of genuine concern there that not many people caught. It was a rare occurrence.

Tara shrugged. She did this for two reasons, one; to at least answer half of his question, two; to get rid of any more coming her way, then she sighed and slumped in a nearby chair. Jack observed his daughter fully for the first time in months. She was paler and thinner than he remembered, but still glowed remarkably of strength. Despite this, there was an alarmingly sudden change in her nature. There was the usual shield of protection, but more so now, and then there was – unless he was very much mistaken – a struggle of sorts.

Jack blinked and grimaced, disgusted. _No sentimentalities! _He told himself firmly.

Tara looked up at him curiously, playing with her dark, curly ponytail as she watched him with her large brown eyes.

My _brown eyes…_ came the thought.

_Shutup! Shutup, shutup! _Snapped the argumentative voice.

She raised an eyebrow after a moment and looked away again.

Jack finally decided to steer any thought of the Keys away and chose something that had been nagging him since the day before.

'Luv, I reckon it's about time you talked to Zeke.'

At the mention of his name, Tara suddenly remembered her nightmare, and again the sound of the gunshot echoed in her mind. She stopped playing with her hair and felt all her feelings of frustration drain away, leaving a numb shock and a sharp horror, but then came … realisation? Zeke hadn't been in the dream. He hadn't been part of the circle. He _hadn't been there._

Tara snapped her head round to look Jack in the eye.

'Me too,' she said softly.

Jack nodded and started to the door. 'I'll get 'im.' He left.

Tara waited only a few seconds, then jumped up and made her way to a nearby cabinet, where she knew Jack had hidden her weapons chest, which she usually kept in her room. Liz had told her this the day before, and then, Tara didn't mind. Right now, she was rather grateful for it as she pulled out her favourite silver dagger and slipped it into the belt around her waist.

Zeke was hiding something.

**Noooo! Math, Art the horror of homework… but it won't take long… hopefully… Review and maybe I'll update some more….**


	19. Something in the Air

**Disclaimer: The Pointless Bit Of Fun Chapter!**

**Damn writer's block! Damn it to hell! I saw the Pirates 2 trailer on Friday when I went to see When a Stranger Calls! The best thing about that movie was the preview! Such a good trailer… apart from that Lord, with his SNOOTY manner and his little red jacket with gold stitching…**

**Something in the Air**

Zeke slipped and slid along the wet decks to the Captain's Quarters where Jack had told him Tara was waiting. He approached the doors with a growing sense of dread. Jack wouldn't have told her, even if she was his daughter. Perhaps she suspected something…

He opened the doors and walked in, immediately mentally scolding himself for forgetting to knock. He saw Tara by the windows, looking down at the sea below.

'Hey,' he said shakily. _Get a grip dammit!_

She turned her head and a smile lit up her features. It wasn't a warm smile, but one he could not place.

'Hi,' she perked. 'Come in then, I don't bite.'

He moved forward a little and stood beside the table. 'So, Jack said you wanted to talk to me?'

She nodded. 'Zeke, I actually wanna ask you some questions. Can you answer them for me?'

He shrugged. 'I'll try.'

'Honestly. Answer them honestly.'

'Sure…'

She took a step toward the table. 'You're not one to judge people?'

'No.'

'Not on stereotypes, not on gender?' Another step.

'No.' Zeke was getting suspicious now, where was this going?'

'You're not a chauvinist?' Around the table.

'No.'

'You know I'm not stupid?' She was right in front of him now, but nonetheless, took another step.

_That's real close…_ 'Of course…' _Uncomfortably close…_

She smiled sweetly and seemingly whipped a dagger from out of nowhere. 'Then why do you insist on treating me like an idiot!' She was almost shouting.

Zeke shuffled his feet. 'What do you mean…?'

'The Keys.' She raised the dagger to his neck.

Those two words sent a shiver down Zeke's spine; all the same he smiled back at her. _So she's worked it out… _'You're right you know.'

She frowned, confused. 'About what?'

Zeke found himself grinning now. 'You're not stupid.' With that he turned and bolted.

Tara stared after him for a split second, then turned and grabbed the pistol she'd laid behind a pile of maps and chased him onto the decks. By the time she got outside he had already reached the far portside of the decks and looked as though he was planning to jump into the water below.

_Surely he isn't that dense?_ Tara thought with exasperation. Nevertheless, she cocked the gun and shot directly at the portion of railing before him, making him stop dead. For the second time that day she felt the eyes of the crew upon her, only this time, she couldn't care less.

'I'm also not that bad a shot,' she called to him as if there'd been no interruption in their conversation.

Jack suddenly appeared at Zeke's side, staring at Tara in shock. 'You shot my ship…' he said weakly.

Tara rolled her eyes and lowered the gun.

Liz too was looking at her like she'd turned into a kind of beast. 'I'm _never _trusting the two of you with _anything…_'

Will leaned down to examine the shot as Tara strode forward. 'Impressive,' he murmured.

'You shot my ship!' Jack repeated faintly.

'You said talk to him,' Tara replied, as though it were entirely Jack's idea.

'But I didn't say shoot him!' Jack snapped.

'But you are, nonetheless, the one who told me to talk to him!' Tara muttered.

Zeke, meanwhile, couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach. She hadn't really wanted to talk to him after all…

'Hang on Jack, she may have had good reason…' muttered Bill, looking at Tara hopefully.

'He knows something!' As she said this, Tara waved the gun at Zeke making him to jump back with a yelp.

''bout what?' asked Anna-Maria blankly.

'About the Keys!'

'Is that possible?'

'Of course it is, he was the only one who wasn't trying to kill me!'

'An' that's a bad thing?'

'Everyone else was trying to kill me…'

'I wasn'!'

'Yeah, actually, I think you were…'

'You shot my ship…'

'Dad, the grown ups are trying to have a conversation!'

'But you shot my ship…'

'Well what would you 'ave done Capt'n!'

'I would've… dammit, Gibbs, I was trying to prove a point!'

'No way would you have shot the _Pearl_!'

'Perhaps if the circumstance required it…'

'This is such a requirement…'

'What requirement?'

'Who're you?'

'How is that important?'

'But how'd you get aboard?'

'I invited him aboard.'

'And you are?'

'What the hell was the point of this conversation?'

BANG!

Everyone jumped as a shot was fired into the air.

'Now that we are back on the subject…' trailed Tara raising the gun to Zeke's head, 'perhaps you'd like to fill us in with some answers…'

He sighed, eyeing her pistol suspiciously. 'Get comfortable, this'll take a while.' He stared at them for a moment.

'I'm a guardian.'

**There ya go, good fun…**

**It's Captain, CAPTAIN!**


	20. The Known, the League and the Dauntless

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT!**

**Hello…errmmmm….I got nothin'… I'm a proud RUSSIAN! **

**96 days to go…**

**The Known, The League and the _Dauntless_**

Tara raised an eyebrow as Zeke paced on the deck before them, his eyes shifting to the gun in her hand.

'That's fantastic…What's a guardian?' she said, her tone hushed yet sarcastic.

He shot her an angry look. 'What say I start from the beginning?'

'It all started about two hundred years ago, when the Keys were originally forged. Six Keys, created to keep the balance balanced and the order of things and events in stability. Six Keys from six great empires. The Key of Metal from Britain, the Key of Earth from Persia, the Key of Water from France, the Key of Fire from Russia, the Key of Air from Greece and the Key of Wood from China.'

He paused to let the effect of his words to sink in. No one spoke, waiting for him to continue.

'Each Key has the ability to control its respective element, as we saw when the waterspout fell on top of you,' he said, looking at Tara.

She rolled her eyes. 'Lovely…'

'The Key stopped it; it didn't destroy it, but stopped it nonetheless. There _were_ various sciences involved, but I won't bore you with that. Anyway, about one hundred years after they were originally formed, a certain organisation decided to ruin the long-lasting peace by attempting to obtain the Keys, this organisation was The League. So, in retaliation, those who knew where the Keys were hidden rounded up the descendants of the original forgers and made an organisation of their own; The Known.'

'Then The Known forged the seventh Key; they hoped that it would provide them with _some_ sort of protection … needless to say they were_ wrong. _So the Keys were divided, and in effect, weakened. They were given to the descendants of those who forged them and the seventh would be passed from family to family of the empires to keep The League off their tail. This went on for decades until one day, about twenty years ago, The Known decided it was safe enough to reunite them in the care of the current Keeper of the seventh Key. Mistress May.'

Tara stared at him. '_May _was involved in all this?'

Zeke nodded. 'Only this time, The Known were taking no chances. They sent spies with the Keys, or "spy" rather. My father. When he died, they sent me. When The League started to suspect spy activity within Jin's camp, they sent another spy to cause a bit of a distraction.' He looked Tara in the eye. 'They sent you.'

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'I was no spy when I arrived in China!'

Zeke couldn't help but grin. 'Not that you knew, but you were, Jin trained you too well, just like the Elders of The Known had planned. You _are_ a descendant; like I am of Air.'

'So,' Jack began, 'her mother's ancestors…'

Zeke shook his head. 'Oh not only her mother's…'

Jack stared at him blankly for a moment. 'Mine?'

Zeke nodded. 'Water.'

'His?' asked Gibbs, Bill and Liz in unison.

'I _knew _it!' cried Tara. She looked up at Jack accusingly. 'French! La clef à vos trésors! _That's_ why you understood it!'

'Great-great-great…old people French,' Jack corrected, forgetting exactly how many generations ago the French bloodline had dissipated. 'Even so, what does that make you?'

'Less French.'

Now it was Zeke's turn to roll his eyes. 'Not finished…' He waited for everyone to fall silent again. 'Good. Tara is the result of a union of two Keys, that of Fire and that of Water.'

'Wait,' said Tara, 'you're saying that my mother was of Russian descent? I didn't know that.' She looked up at Jack. 'Did you know that?'

He nodded. 'Great-great-great old people Russian… That makes you part Russian.'

'Key word being "part"!'

'Now the rule is,' Zeke began loudly, before Jack could retort, 'no one can touch the Keys unless given permission by one of the Keepers and the Keepers are best at controlling them so they don't often give that permission out, which is probably the reason it was so easy for Tara to get hold of them-,'

'Easy?' cried Tara indignantly. 'You call that easy? The maniac chased me all over the place! Burnt a blazing red "P" in my skin! He tried to blow me to pieces, for cryin' out loud! And I am not one to be all proud and arrogant, but give me some credit! That was _far _from easy!'

'He _branded_ you!' said Jack, rising from the crate on which he'd been sitting, suddenly infuriated. He grabbed Tara's right hand and turned it over to see the burn.

'How did you manage to miss _that_?' she asked, watching him, surprisingly at ease.

'I'm gonna kill 'im.'

'You hate killing.'

'Without reason.'

'Not a good enough reason.'

Zeke watched the scene with amusement. _They have a lot in common_… 'Hate to cut this short…'

Tara and Jack fell silent, but through the silence, almost everyone aboard could feel the sudden tension.

Zeke nodded with satisfaction. 'You're all involved now, be you descendants or not. It's your job to get the Keys to safety.'

Nobody spoke for a full minute, then:

'Thanks kid,' muttered Anna-Maria, grumpily, 'you made our day.'

'Where would we hide them?' asked Will. 'Where would be safe enough?'

Zeke looked at him. 'We find the Travelling Sanctuary.'

Tara threw her hands into the air. 'Right, of course we do!' She was extremely agitated. 'Now you're going to tell us, that this Travelling Sanctuary has to be found with some special Key or a Compass Rose, and when we get to where ever it's hidden, there's gonna be some random _prat_ there, telling us that we don't get it unless we find him some sort of _jade monkey_ before time's up to _save the world_!' At this point she was almost tearing her hair out.

Zeke stared at her. 'Actually the Keys'll give us the coordinates.'

Will tugged Tara's hands away from her hair.

'Well' he said, 'that sounds simple enough.'

Jack glanced around. 'All in favour of returning the Keys?' And tragically, with much reluctance, they raised their hands. All but two of them; Jack didn't feel the need to as he'd have to do as they voted, and Tara, who folded her arms defiantly and glared at Zeke furiously.

Jack nodded. 'Get those bearings.'

xXx

Zeke stared into the box, his face alight with wonder and the Keys reflected in his eyes.

'Reunited at last…' he breathed, 'the power of the whole… each to its own…' He moved his hand toward the box but Tara grabbed his wrist.

'Yeah, yeah, I don't care, can you just get on with it!' she snapped impatiently.

Zeke rolled his eyes. 'A _moment_ if you please Miss Sparrow!'

Tara moved back as Liz entered the room.

'Well?' she asked in undertone.

Tara jumped slightly, then glanced at Zeke and dragged Liz back by the elbow. 'I don't know about him…'

Liz sighed. 'Tara, why is it so hard for you to trust people?'

Tara released a derisive snort. 'You mean apart from being lied to about my paternity for all these years, by my own _mother_?' She paused, as if thinking. 'Gee…I'm not sure…'

'Oh, get over it!' Liz hissed.

'Make me. And get a handle on your hormones!'

'This isn't my hormones talking! And you really _do not_ want me to make you do anything!'

Zeke meanwhile stared at the coordinates he'd just written. _These should do…_ He looked up and watched Tara and Elizabeth arguing in whispers.

'Ladies?' he said loudly putting an end to the conversation, 'As much as I hate to interrupt, I'm sure you'll want to accompany me upstairs because I'm such a dashing young gentleman…' He grinned at his own joke.

Tara raised an eyebrow and fought the urge to say something insulting, besides, she just noticed her cousin's expression. Liz suddenly looked alarmed.

'Excuse me,' she said, with as much dignity as she could muster, 'but I have a sudden craving for coal…' She turned on her heel a walked swiftly out of the room. Tara watched her go with puzzlement.

'If you say so…' Zeke muttered.

xXx

'These the right bearings, boy?'

Zeke smirked. 'Don't you trust me?'

Jack peered at him from the corner of his eye and rested his hand on the spores of the Helm. 'No, not that I can say,' he replied bluntly.

'You're starting to sound like Tara,' Zeke commented, 'it's fairly disturbing…'

Jack exhaled through his nose. 'Mm hmm, go help Matthews with the rigging.'

Zeke shrugged his shoulders and threw Jack a dark look before doing as he was told. He passed Will on the stairs to the deck. Will glanced back inquisitively as he approached Jack.

'What was that all about?' he asked.

Jack watched Zeke toss a rope across the deck. 'The boy expects special treatment.'

'For what?'

'For getting the bearings.'

Will cocked his head slightly in interest. 'He got them then?'

Jack nodded as Bill came up behind him.

'Got what?' he asked curiously.

'Zeke got the bearings,' Will explained.

'Oh, did he?' Bill said raising his eyebrows.

Jack shifted impatiently, he didn't like interference when he was trying to think, and this conversation was certainly interference. 'Was there something you wanted, Will?'

Will blinked; he'd momentarily forgotten why he'd come here in the first place. 'Jack, I need a favour…'

'No,' Jack said sharply.

Bill elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him pointedly

Jack rolled his eyes characteristically. 'Fine… What's the favour?'

Will glanced at Bill gratefully. Taking a deep breath, he answered, 'Elizabeth.'

'No, I'm Jack.'

Bill released a badly concealed laugh and fell silent at Will's look. 'Sorry.'

'I think it's best if we return her to Port Royal,' Will continued.

Jack threw his shoulders and wriggled his nose. 'Mm…'

Will waited for further confirmation. 'Well?'

Jack look at him suddenly, his eyes wide. 'We could probably just let her aboard the _Dauntless…_'

Will cocked his head to the right. 'Go back?'

Jack smiled meekly, nodded over his shoulder and handed Will his spyglass. Will looked uncertainly at Bill, who nodded, and strode to the poopdeck rails. He raised the spyglass to his eye and looked through at the horizon. A tiny portion of a white sail was visible over the horizon. Will lowered the spyglass and looked inquiringly back at Jack.

He grinned. 'Been following since the Settlement.'

'This is the first I've seen them,' Will said.

Jack's grin widened. 'Ah, but you're forgetting…I'm Captain Jack Sparrow…'

Will looked back through the spyglass.

'Nothing gets past you, does it Jack?' Bill tested behind him.

'Not at all…'

'Then why did you not notice a scalded "P" on your daughter's arm?'

Jack seemed to have no answer for that one.

**Of course not… Please, please review, I'm starved for ideas! HELP ME!**


	21. Hormones

**Disclaimer: Fanatic…**

**Okay…holidays! For two weeks…but that means less work, more writing and Diamonds and Pearls 3! Opps…shouldn't'a told ya that… scratch that…**

**84 days people! **

**Hormones**

'I'm getting angry,' Tara muttered through gritted teeth later that day. Hunched over a map in the Captains Quarter's, she found that she was talking to herself more and more often, only this time she was unexpectedly answered as her father entered the room.

'That's too bad…' he replied as he the closed door. 'Why?'

Tara looked in frustration. 'They don't work!'

Jack collapsed in a nearby chair and rested his legs on the table. He'd just been standing at the Helm for several hours, as much as he loved it, one does get tired after a while, not to mention, his stitches hurt. 'What doesn't work?' He set his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

She blew a strand of hair from her eyes. 'These coordinates.'

Although interested, he still didn't move his head. 'I'm listening…'

'They leave us in the middle of Canada,' Tara sighed and sat down in the nearest chair, resting her hands in her lap. 'I'm starting to think… perhaps Zeke doesn't want us to find this…Temple…he may have given us the wrong coordinates on purpose.'

'Nonsense,' Jack muttered, still staring at the ceiling. 'Why would he do that?'

Tara took a deep breath and released it exasperation. 'I don't know, to throw us off, to get us lost, there could be hundreds of reasons!' She paused and stared at Jack, he remained motionless. 'What's the matter with you?' she asked suddenly.

He looked across the table at her as she eyed him suspiciously. 'What-?'

'Why is it suddenly about saving the world?' she studied him as she spoke. 'What have they ever done for you?'

Jack considered her for the moment. Should he risk the truth? Perhaps…perhaps not…

'They've done enough,' he replied finally, looking down at the rings on his hand. 'This is fairly more about saving _ourselves_, luv…the world just fits in nicely.'

'Saving ourselves?' Tara asked. 'From what?' No reply, but she persisted. 'Dad, what's out there?'

Jack raised his eyes to her, contemplating once more. 'Luv, let me look at those maps… He stood up and Tara watched him take over with contempt. She felt like a child.

xXx

'You're getting rid of me!'

Will struggled to calm his wife as her voice rose unnaturally high at the prospect of going aboard the _Dauntless_ for her own safety. Will glanced nervously back at the pillows of their bed, God forbid she tried to smother him with them. Bill was leaning on the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest, as if he were a bodyguard.

'No one's getting rid of you,' Bill said calmly.

'Of course not,' Will agreed, 'we just think that for the time being you should go aboard the _Dauntless_, inform them of the situation and tell them to prepare, if necessary.'

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide. 'Prepare for what!' She leapt off the bed. 'WILLIAM TURNER! You'd best not be planning a suicide mission!'

Will stood up, looking to Bill for help.

'Calm down, dear…' was all Bill could say.

Liz ignored him. 'I know what this is…' she hissed advancing on Will, 'there's another woman…'

Will gaped at her, speechless, and then despite himself, he smiled. The notion was laughable. A moment later Jack and Tara appeared at the door.

'Yelling, we heard yelling, who's yelling?' Tara said quickly.

'You're _laughing_? It's true isn't it?' Liz accused.

Will shook his head in disbelief. 'I was _smiling_ because that's ridiculous! You know you're the only one-,'

But she interjected. 'Oh no! Oh, I see… You think I'm fat!'

Tara burst into giggles as Will stared at his wife in horror. This wasn't going to plan…

'No. No, no,' Will said raising his arms defensively, 'I don't think that-,'

'You wish I was still back in that corset!' Liz yelled. 'Well, fine then, I'll leave! I won't sink your precious _Pearl_ with the weight of my rear-end!'

Jack was unsuccessfully trying to conceal an enormous, entertained grin, as Bill watched the scene in amusement and Tara was half-crying from laughing so hard. Will continued to stare at Liz, completely bewildered.

'You can't get rid of me! I won't let you!' with that she sat down on the edge of the bed in a huff and folded her arms.

Will looked desperately up at the three at the door as they struggled to wipe away the looks of amusement.

Tara glanced up at Jack. 'I think it's time we bowed out…' She ducked under his arm as he turned and as soon as they were out of sight, Will and Bill (and possibly Liz, it was hard to tell) heard the two of them laughing.

Bill exhaled an accompanying laugh quickly and looked up at Will. 'Perhaps we should give her a minute…'

Will looked down at his wife, kissed the top of her head and hurried out the door. Bill shut it behind him.

'It could have gone worse!' he said cheerily and started for the stairs to the decks above. He stopped when he noticed Will wasn't following and turned back.

'Son?'

Will stared at him strangely.

'What is it?' Bill took few steps down.

'I thought maybe…' Will trailed off.

'Maybe what?'

Will hesitated. 'Elizabeth refuses to go along with this, but maybe…if someone went with her…'

Bill suddenly understood Will's awkwardness. 'You want me to go with her aboard the _Dauntless_?' he asked, surprised.

Will nodded. 'If you would… I feel I owe it to Jack to stay and help as he has helped me…'

Bill stared at his son uncertainly for a moment. 'I'd be honoured,' he replied finally, he put his hand on Will's shoulder, 'I'm glad to know you trust me with this.'

Will simply smiled.

'I'll inform Jack of the arrangement,' Bill continued, starting back toward the stairs.

'Father?' Will called.

Bill stopped on the stairs in surprise and looked back at Will. 'Yes?'

'Thankyou.'

xXx

Jack exhaled deeply and fell back in the chair. Tara had been right, these coordinates left them in the middle of Canada.

There was a faint knock on the door.

'What!' he barked vehemently.

He heard the door open and close as someone entered.

'How are you faring, Mrs. Turner?'

Elizabeth stomped her foot on the carpet, staring at him incredously. '_How_ do you do that!'

He looked up at her. 'It's a gift… What brings you on this fine evening to my humble quarters?'

Liz raised an eyebrow. 'I have a question to ask…'

'Ask away.'

'What's behind this inspiration for doing the right thing?'

'I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean, luv…'

'Oh, I think you do.'

'Is that so?'

Liz paused, glaring at him heftily. 'What are you hiding?'

Jack surveyed her before answering. 'What are _you_ hiding?'

She hadn't expected that. 'I beg your pardon?'

'Pregnancy doesn't come subtly luv…'

Liz stared for a moment. 'Did Tara…?'

Jack shook his head. 'Didn't say a word.'

Liz walked around the table, moved a nearby chair closer to his and sat down in it. 'What do I tell Will? How will he _react_?'

Jack gazed at the rings on his right hand thoughtfully as he answered. 'Hopefully not in the same way I did…'

Liz laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

**I promise to write like a maniac till I've finished.**


	22. Crossover

**Disclaimer: Yes it's that time again! Easter has arrived and you know what that means! Chocolate-induced comas!**

**Today on Sixty Minutes- Santa Claus has elves to perform miscellaneous jobs at Christmas, so how does the Easter Bunny get all his eggs made? Kidnapping? Non-unionized labor? Easter bunny, please explain.**

**Crossover**

Next morning, the _Pearl_ swayed silently in the water, sails secured, anchor weighed and crew moving sluggishly aboard. The only people who seemed patient were Jack and Bill, who were casually sitting on the stairs to the Poopdeck.

The sky was dark, overcast, even the white flag atop the main mast looked gray. It moved little, mimicking the atmosphere aboard as Tara paced beneath it wringing her hands in trait of anxiety. Will watched her from the base of the mast, where he sat on the deck, leaning back on it.

'Why are you so nervous?' he asked. 'You, of all people should not be nervous, it's straight forward!'

Tara lowered her hands and stopped. 'I dunno, I'm anxious…aren't you anxious?'

She resumed her pacing and Will looked up at the flag above him. It billowed feebly. He exhaled and rose to his feet, crossing the deck to where Jack and his father sat in observation.

'What's taking so long?' he muttered angrily upon reaching them. 'They're not all that far away, shouldn't they be here by now?'

Bill smiled grimly. 'Do not judge a person's nature on assumptions. They'll see the flag, they'll come.'

'They'd better,' Jack interrupted, 'I didn't put it up there for no bloody reason.'

Will slumped his shoulders and looked at Bill exasperatedly. Bill nodded to the foredeck.

'Why don't you go talk to your wife,' Bill suggested, 'or it'll be me who she'll take her anger out on.'

Will looked back at Liz, who stood at the rails of the foredeck, staring at the horizon. He crossed the lengthy deck, panicking slightly.

'Elizabeth?' he asked cautiously.

She looked up at him and smiled, then looked down at the railing.

'Elizabeth,' Will continued, 'you know, that I would do anything for you, even if that means us being apart to keep you safe, and -,'

'I know,' Liz interrupted, looking back up, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react like that yesterday. I was just really…' Liz paused, looking for the right word. _Hormonal?_ '…shocked.'

She turned and kissed him, taking him by surprise. He stared down at her in wonder.

'Well…' Will pulled her into an embrace.

Across the decks and on the stairs, Bill smiled at the scene, thinking to a time since past. 'The good old days…' he muttered, elbowing Jack in the ribs and nodding at the couple.

Jack made a face. 'Old? You're as old as I am! Watch who you're callin' old!'

Bill sniggered appreciatively and signalled in Tara's direction. 'Wanna reprieve _your _little ray-of-sunshine?'

Jack groaned and rolled his eyes. 'Luv, you're gonna put a hole in my deck with that pacing!'

She seemed not to hear him and continued pacing.

'Tara, dear, are you all right?' Bill asked.

Tara didn't stop pacing. 'Yep, fine.'

Jack raised an eyebrow and she stopped.

'_Really_ I'm fine,' she paused, 'paranoia, that's what it is… paranoia…'

Jack glanced at Bill as Tara resumed her pacing. Suddenly she stopped short and turned to them. 'Isn't it?'

Bill stared at her, amused.

'Either I'm paranoid, or I'm losing my mind,' she continued, 'coz I feel claustrophobic, and I've only felt that once, and I don't like it!' She turned back to the Main Deck where most of the crew had spread themselves out. 'Does anyone else feel claustrophobic!' No one answered and she turned back. 'Of course not,' she muttered to herself, 'why should they?' She started pacing again.

Jack watched her for a moment and looked up at the motionless white flag then looked back down, he felt it too, but he'd never admit it.

'Capt'n!' came the yell that caused Jack to look up again. Matthews pointed to the horizon. 'The _Dauntless_!'

Jack stood up and strode to the railings. He looked in the direction Matthews was pointing.

'Is it the _Dauntless_?' Tara asked, having stopped pacing.

Jack raised his spyglass. It sure was. ' 'Bout time,' he muttered, putting his spyglass away.

The large Navy ship crashed through the waves toward the _Pearl_. The _Dauntless_ looked particularly daunting but Jack knew as well as anybody else that it was no match for his ship. The crew were visible, scrambling about on deck, securing topsails to slow the monster down and as she pulled alongside the _Pearl_, the anchor fell into the water below.

Norrington was standing with his hands behind his back and a dark look on his face.

'Touché, Captain Sparrow,' he said darkly, 'although I must say I expected less.'

'Get over yourself, Princess,' Tara snapped, agitated.

Jack glared at her pointedly and she desisted. There was a loud thud as a gangplank was lowered between the two ships.

'To what do I owe the _displeasure_?' Norrington asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

Gibbs looked at him sourly. 'Mr. Turner and Miss Elizabeth are goin' aboard, Commodore.'

Norrington raised an eyebrow curiously. 'Really?'

With a final kiss for Will, Elizabeth crossed the gangplank between the ships. Bill clapped Will's shoulder and followed suit.

'Senior?' drawled Norrington.

Will stepped forward to remove the gangplank, and for some reason, stopped short of the rails. Tara watched curiously as a shadow of confusion passed over his face and he stepped back, no one else seemed to have noticed a Bill was hurriedly explaining the circumstances.

'…this is only a temporary arrangement for Elizabeth's safety,' he concluded.

'So why are you comin' aboard?' asked the ever-faithful Mullroy.

Bill looked across as him, his eyes narrowed. 'To make sure that this arrangement is seen to.'

At that moment, the crew of the _Dauntless_ pushed the gangplank forward and several of the _Pearl's_ crew moved to collect it. Tara watched as the same looks of confusion crossed over their faces, but again, no one else seemed to have noticed. Will crossed to her side.

'Something's wrong!' he hissed in her ear.

Tara raised her hand in goodbye, and replied, trying to move her lips as little as possible. 'I can tell. Try not to show it…'

'Let's go!' Jack yelled, and hustle returned. The anchor was raised and the sails released in a matter of seconds. 'And get that flag down before somebody sees it!'

**Happy Easter everybody! Now get in the spirit and leave me a review…please!**


	23. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

**Disclaimer: Entertainment purposes only, I don't make any money, blah, blah, blah…**

**Here we go, third-last chapter, I intend to make the three-quel short so as not to go on rambling after Dead Man's Chest. But I may or may not write another story after that, depending on how my exams go…**

**As of ANZAC Day (25th of April)- 73 days to go**

**AND- 393 days to go until UNCHARTED WATERS! (And if you're _really_ paying attention, you'll notice it's cameo appearance in this chapter!)**

**Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained**

'Isla Sorta! Why on earth are they going to Isla Sorta?'

Bill took an instinctive step back as Elizabeth advanced upon him. He was suddenly glad for the large size of the room in which they stood. It would make it harder for her to find a weapon to use against him, and harder still to get to it before he ran for the door.

'I thought they were looking for a Temple! Isla Sorta is uncharted territory not to mention uncharted waters!'

'Elizabeth be reasonable,' Bill said quietly, 'Jack is not going to sail the _Pearl _so far North when he can simply bury his burden, he's not in the world-saving business!'

Liz rolled her eyes and crossed to the bed, where she sat down and sighed. 'It's them against the world then?'

Bill nodded. '_Us _against the world.'

xXx

Having laid anchor, the crew of the _Black Pearl_ felt it was due time to rest a night as they'd been sailing non-stop for almost three days. The deck was lit by a three dull lanterns for any poor soul who was not yet abed … or ahammock. As there was no moon and clouds covered the stars, the only other light was provided from the windows of the Captain's Quarters within which Jack sat with his legs on the table and rum in his hand. The lateness of the hour notwithstanding, he was wide-awake and deep in thought. So much so, that he did not hear the footsteps of a lone individual briskly crossing the deck, or even the following knock on the door.

Without awaiting an answer, the visitor strode in and Jack gave a start.

'Luv?' he asked, looking up at his daughter. 'Why aren't you sleep-, '

Tara refused to let him finish. 'You could've told me! Of all people, you could've told me!'

Jack frowned. He had told Will the plan to reach Isla Sorta, where he was sure their cargo would not be discovered. Obviously Will had others in his confidence.

'Don't take it personally, luv…'

'_Don't take it personally!_' Tara cried.

Suddenly the door flew open again and Will hurried inside as the candles flickered. He took one look at the scene and looked at Jack guiltily.

'Sorry, I…' he trailed off mid sentence as Jack fixed him with an accusatory glare.

Tara ignored the younger man's entrance and continued as if he hadn't at all interrupted.

'You lied _again_!' she said, her voice rising as she started pacing. 'I honestly do not care if you're lying to others because you usually have a good reason…' She stopped short and turned to face him, '…_but don't lie to me_!'

Her voice carried the merest hint of a threat that made Jack wince. She only ever rose to a challenge when she was furious; he knew she hated arguing as much as he did.

'Tara, perhaps there was a good reason…' Will said quietly.

Tara folded her arms and looked at him suddenly. 'Oh, bull-,'

'Watch your tongue!' Jack snapped. She stared it him blankly. 'Luv, feel free to be as angry as you want, but I'm still your father and therefore reserve the right to boss you around. I don't want you swearing, savvy?'

That shut her up.

Jack went to take a swig from his bottle when something caught his eye. He lowered it back onto the table, staring at the door.

Will raised an eyebrow. 'Jack, what's-,'

Jack waved his hand in the air and Will fell silent. He and Tara both followed Jack's progress as he rose from his table and approached the door to the deck. He bent almost double staring at the crack between the door and the floorboards. Tara and Will exchanged confused glances.

'Erm, Dad?' Tara said

'Shush!' Jack snapped. He straightened up and motioned for Will and Tara to move with him to the back of the room. They did so, but reluctantly.

'There's someone outside,' he muttered, still watching the door.

Tara raised an eyebrow and looked from Jack to the door and back. 'And?'

'They aren't meant to be, luv.'

'How do you know that?' Will asked in amazement.

Jack exhaled impatiently. 'The light went out!'

'And besides, he's Jack, he knows everything,' Tara added in undertone. 'What d'we do?'

Will had a ready-formed plan. 'Jack and I will go outside, if they're hostile…'

'…warn the crew,' Jack finished.

Will drew his sword as Jack grabbed his weapons off a nearby cabinet. They glanced at each other and started for the door.

'Dad?'

Jack stopped and looked back.

'Be careful.'

He and Will simultaneously opened the doors and stepped outside, into absolute darkness.

**Uncharted Waters is, in fact, the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and will be released May 25th 2007! Please review, I think I've lost a few readers and it would be great if you could reassure me…**


	24. The Deepest Circle of Hell

**Disclaimer: I steal a line from Dead Man's Chest in this chapter…or a part of one anyway…**

**Deepest Circle of Hell**

'Zeke?'

Zeke turned sharply at the sound of Jack's voice. He stood at the starboard side railings, next to the only lantern still alight. At the sight of Will and Jack's drawn weapons he grinned.

'Sorry _Captain_,' Zeke sneered as he blew out the last candle.

Jack blinked, expecting utter darkness, but to his surprise, and apparently Will's too, there was only a split-second of such. Then not only did the deck light up dimly, but it also flared with sudden action. Men appeared to have sprung out of nowhere, but nevertheless, Jack managed to catch sight of a junk portside of the _Pearl_ at least for a second before he was preoccupied with defending his life from surly attackers.

xXx

Inside the Captain's Quarters, Tara froze staring at the door in horror and listening to the sounds outside. Her mind was racing and for a moment she forgot what she was supposed to be doing. A particularly loud thud at the door knocked her back to her senses. She ducked into the adjoining room on the starboard side of the ship; Jack's private Quarter's where she rarely ever ventured, and crossed to the window. Throwing it open, she glanced in both directions before climbing out onto a ledge only fifteen or so centimetres in width. She shut the window slowly, her mind focused on the sounds above, and edged, as quickly as she could, around the corner and to the nearest gunport. As she climbed through she heard the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. She leapt down the stairs to the berth deck. She raised her fingers to her lips and blew sharply. The whistle was shrill and high, enough so to raise the sleeping crew from their slumber, and several from the hammocks.

'Whazzgoinon?' someone muttered angrily.

'Up!' Tara ordered. 'Weapons at the ready! On deck, all hands! Scurry! MOVE IT!'

She seemed to have gained awareness as she started up the stairs with most of the crew rushing along behind her. She drew her sword as they came up on deck. The scene that met the eye was shocking enough. Will battled fiercely on the Poopdeck against at least five attackers with more closing in. Jack was ducking around the Main Mast surrounded by six or more. He glanced sharply in Tara's direction.

'Jack, _duck_!' she yelled at him. As he did, a sword became impaled in the mast, level with the place his neck had just been. Tara grimaced as the crew separated across the decks. She turned in time to see a man with short blonde hair charge at her. She sidestepped and blocked his oncoming attack with her new cutlass. A moment later he fell to the deck and she looked at her weapon. It wasn't so shiny anymore.

'Damn…' she muttered unhappily.

'Phoenix?'

Tara turned sharply to find herself staring at Jin. He was standing calmly by the rails, no longer robed and imperial, but dressed much like the others, with the exception of the red jacket with gold stitching. He studied her with interest.

'And here I thought you'd forgotten your training…'

Tara frowned. He was taunting her, challenging her to lose it, but she was suddenly distracted as Zeke swung his sword at her from apparently nowhere. She blocked him but felt herself stagger back.

'Oh come on!' she snapped at him. 'How was that fair!'

He swung again, this time aiming high, but she blocked and retaliated, stepping forward for the attack.

xXx

Jack ducked for a second time as one of his aggressors threw a punch at his face. Instead he hit the mast and started screaming for relief for his broken fingers. Jack straightened up, momentarily pleased.

'Now whose fault is that!' he mocked as he waved his cutlass at the man's sides. As Jack's attacker was devoid of a hand, all that had to be done was a turnover at the railings, which was achieved to Jack's satisfaction.

Free of burden, he glanced around the deck at the fighting figures.

'Well done Captain,' drawled a voice from nearby, 'good to see you did not leave my base without learning _something_.'

Jack rolled his eyes and turned to Jin. He spread his arms and gave a dismissive shrug. 'I try.'

Jin sneered and swung his blade in an arch, forcing Jack to duck. As he straightened up he said, 'I definitely didn't deserve that…'

xXx

Leagues away, the _Dauntless_ tore through the waves at her top speed. At the farthest corner of the deck, Elizabeth paced back and forth with Bill watching on wearily. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him worriedly.

'They'll be alright, won't they?'

Bill looked back at her curiously.

'They'll be fine,' he replied.

Little did he know that that statement wouldn't last the night.

**Oh my GOD… One chapter to go! So you'd better review or I'll hold it hostage!  
**


	25. WARNING

_**READ THIS FIRST**_

**This story is written for entertainment purposes ONLY. We regret to inform any reading is undertaken at the reader's own risk. The author is not responsible for any deaths, cliffhangers and/or unexplained explosions. If your are easily turned off, we would suggest your proceed with caution as the following chapter contains deaths, cliffhangers and/or unexplained explosions, possibly also blood and gore, but those shouldn't be too problematic as this is a story. Please do not try this at home…**

**We're serious…this stuff is dangerous unless read by a professional!**

**THE AUTHOR DOES THIS, SO _YOU_ DON'T HAVE TO!**


	26. The End

**Okay, final chapter…cliché I know…I tried, I really did! For your sake I hope you read the warning…**

Tara blocked Zeke's attack yet again, but this time there came a scream from behind her followed by a splintering of wood. She glanced back to see the mast cracked in two by a flying cannonball. That lack in vigilance cost her dearly. Suddenly, she felt an agonising pain tear through her body, looking back at Zeke, who was watching her impassively, she realised why. The sword was no longer in his hand. She slowly looked down. It was there, sticking out of her abdomen at an awkward angle. Her own cutlass slid from her hand as she stared down at the sword in shock, her hands instinctively going to the wound. Seconds later, they were covered in blood.

xXx

Jack forced Jin back and glanced at the mast anxiously. They may still be able to make it back to land as long as it sustained no further damage. He looked around at the fighting figures for a split second and froze. Horror flooded his senses as he gaped at the long, thick sword pierced through his daughter's body.

He forgot about Jin and started towards her, but his arms were pulled back from behind, and he could go no further.

'Watch,' hissed Jin's voice in his ear, 'watch her die. Watch as she is stolen away…as your world is ripped to shreds.'

xXx

Tara felt herself start going into shock, she looked back up at Zeke, who could only turn away in disgust. Then, with a final burst of energy, she tore the sword from her gut and stabbed it through Zeke's chest. He looked around at her his eyes wide and for a moment time stood still, then, slowly, he fell to the deck, dead. Tara staggered back, every movement causing an unbearable pain. She fell back…

xXx

Will elbowed his assailant in the face causing him to go flying over the rails and into the water. Free, he surveyed the scene before him and his eyes landed on Jack. Held in place by Jin, Jack was seemingly trying to reach someone, or something, Will could not see.

Without further thought, Will started running, grabbing a pistol off a body on the deck as he did.

'Jack!' he yelled as he cocked it.

Jack tore his eyes momentarily away from Tara to see Will running, gun in hand. Almost immediately, he recalled his nerve and brought his cutlass down into Jin's foot. Jin bellowed an oath as Jack leapt away and Will fired. Jack didn't see if the bullet met it's target, he was already at Tara's side.

She was pale and trembling, lying in a dark pool of her own blood. Jack fell to his knees beside her, staring down with uncertainty.

'That was either really smart… or extremely stupid…' Tara gasped.

Jack grit his teeth and lifted her up, cradling her carefully in his arms. Will arrived, kneeling beside them, his heart in his throat.

'You're 'right, luv, you're fine,' Jack muttered, 'we'll get you fixed up, you'll be fine…'

Tara winced at a searing wave of pain. 'Ouch…' she muttered through gritted teeth, 'that hurt…'

Jack looked at Will desperately. 'I don't know what to do…' He trailed off.

Will stared at him helplessly and shook his head.

There was another splintering of wood and a moments silence, followed a shriek of 'She's going down!' Thus, the _Black Pearl_, the last _real_ pirate threat in the Caribbean, began to sink rapidly.

Will looked at Jack in horror, but the Captain was carefully wrapping Tara in his coat.

Tara found that she could no longer fight back tears of pain.

xXx

'Mr. Turner are you sure we are on the right course?' asked Norrington, half-hoping the answer was "no".

Bill glanced at him and nodded, then looked back over the water as James stalked away.

'Mrs. Turner,' he muttered as he crossed her path. Liz watched him leave and joined Bill at the railing.

'Is he always so friendly?' Bill asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Liz made no answer.

'Elizabeth?' Bill said curiously. 'What is it?'

Liz didn't look up from the water. 'I'm not… There's something…wrong…'

xXx

The decks of the _Black Pearl_ were mayhem. Panic fuelled the desperate attempts to jump ship and in the centre of it all, the Captain tried in vain to ease his daughter's suffering.

Will watched Jack hug Tara to his chest in the surreal dream that was reality. Looking to the stern suddenly, Will saw that the deck had tilted and the water had already reached the helm. The crew were standing at the rails, staring into the dark water or at the retreating vessel that had brought about their demise, unable to break the confinement. Will looked back at Jack and was shocked to hear Tara say his name.

'Will…'

He stared at her.

'Will…listen…' she choked, tears running down her face, 'take care…of the baby…'

Will cocked his head in confusion but she didn't elaborate, looking instead, at Jack.

'Dad…'she winced, 'I'm sorry daddy…'

Will held his breath as she slipped away.

Jack looked down at her in horror. 'Baby, no…no, no, no… please, _please,_ no…'

_**To be continued…**_

**_After the exams_**


	27. Many Thankyou's

**YOUR REVIEWS ARE MUCH APPRECIATTED!**

**I try to thank all my reviewers at the end of my stories, but if you are forgotten, I apologise in advance.**

TriGemini - Thanks so much for your reviews, you've been incredibly patient. I always look forward to them, as they're always so informative and long! I look forward to hearing from you in the future!

Arctic Fox - I'm sorry you're lonely, I'm lonely too, there you go, we can be lonely together! And I read your reviews, I always read reviews, they make me happy! PS- give me your email so I can reply to you, otherwise I feel bad!

Stickbug - Cool. Thankyou. Your input is much appreciated! Your reviews, more so.

Kat- YOU are slack, but I forgive you….

Icefox- Thanks! I will keep writing, I'm trying to get people to read so that when I get my English teacher to check it, he'll think I'm popular...

Amy- You cried? Really? GOOD! That's sort of what I was going for...

Pearl Sparrow- Yep, Pearl's going down...OR IS IT! Mwa ha ha ha! Glad you enjoyed it and are enjoying it thus far.

And a BIG thanks to all the other reviews, you were knocked off the pages because of Kat, I'll "flying heads" her for you.

I hope you all stick around for Diamonds and Pearls 3: Deja Vu, which should be coming up in the next fornight sometime, and if you don't then I HATE YOU! And you're on my revenge list! Nah, I'm kidding...sorta...

Take whatcha can!

Alex .S./Rumrunner!


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